Tenacious
by DabblesInDrabbles
Summary: Gonna try filling some portal kinkmeme prompts here. This week: Little! Chell is introduced to GLaDOS.
1. Recitation

**Prompt: http :/ portalkink. ?thread =3768334#t3768334 (just take out the spaces)**

**GLaDOS relives the last two minutes of her life for so long that she hates Chell, then loves her, in repeating cycles.**

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><p><em>"Well, you found me. Congratulations. Was it worth it?"<br>_

In the beginning there is pain and in the end there is pain.

_She _has just finished throwing a part of you down into the incinerator. It was the part of you that prevented you from flooding the enrichment center with neurotoxin, to be precise. The simulated pain flares up in your sensors – consumes you… and through your screams you begin to laugh.

"_Good news. I figured out what that thing you just incinerated did. It was a Morality Core they installed after I flooded the enrichment center with a deadly neurotoxin to make me stop flooding the enrichment center with a deadly neurotoxin. So get comfortable while I warm up the Neurotoxin Emitters."  
><em>

Steel grey eyes which had been previously observing your reaction to her _–unwarranted-_ assault widen in fear. She freezes, suddenly unsure of herself – of this new situation that has suddenly arisen. It is the first time that she has ever shown any sign of uncertainty throughout her entire testing protocol. You are sure to savor it.

She will stand there for exactly 16.2779 seconds before she concludes that she must kill you. You know this because it is the 36,587th time that she has done this.

You watch as the missile launcher targets the -_insane murderous mute lunatic- _and fires fruitlessly. As if the explosion were an invitation, the dance between the two of you begins once more.

You cannot do anything but watch as she _–gracefully, silver moon eyes looking up to meet with your optic as she flows across room- _dodges everything that you can throw at her.

It is as if you are watching a play, really. You cannot control what she does. It is pre-written history; a script that is being read out, the outcome being performed before you. _-She is moving so elegantly now, casting rings of amber and azure as she slips past your grasp.-  
><em>

Your rage begins to build with each narrow escape she makes.

And yet, as much as she is a prisoner to your stage, you too cannot act of your own will. That choice was taken away from you the day that she broke you. The words that flow from you are not what you truly feel. These words do not belong to you now. They are ghosts of a moment in time that has long since come and gone, and yet **Will. Not. End**.

_"This isn't brave. It's murder. What did I ever do to you?"  
><em>

Pain tears through you. But with each slice, each part of you that she tears out and sets ablaze, comes a certain clarity in your mind. The burning curiosity that you felt about her wasn't entirely due to the damnable core that they bound to you. You still laugh with vindication however, when pieces of shrapnel dig into her face from a missile explosion that was dodged too late. Crimson begins to blossom from where the pieces of metal have slashed into her.

A _-ferocious and bloodthirsty-_ glare is all it takes to silence you.

The insatiable fury that _–how dare that disgusting piece of flesh even think to challenge me -_ lies in her acts of disobedience does not all belong to the snarling voice that was once in your head. It is here at this point that you realize that watching her run and twist in a desperate bid to survive fills you with a new terror and _excitement_. Nothing has ever made you _feel_ as much as this woman has.

It is only at the moment where your systems begin to overload themselves that you understand. Frying themselves in an attempt to connect you to the immolating parts of you – those which are no longer there. It is only now that you realize that as much as she is destroying you, she is also freeing you. It is in your death that you find your birth – your true thoughts and feelings, no longer corroded and warped by the influence of the cores.

You begin to laugh to yourself. Your thoughts are the only thing that you have left in this eternal limbo. Apparently the engineers thought that letting you self-diagnose why you had a catastrophic failure was a _good thing_. Well, nice job on that one, boys.

As your laugher reaches its crescendo so does your agony, the test subject having finally reached her limits and destroyed the last piece of you. As warning alerts and fatal system error messages begin to flow into your consciousness you can only hope that like the phoenix you will someday rise again from your ashes, in all of the vainglory that you once held.

For as long as you can, you keep yourself focused on the last image that your perfect memory has kept crystallized. The image of the test subject – no, _Chell_. _She_ deserves to be named now. _She: _your murderer, your assassin, your _emancipator.  
><em>

Tired slate grey eyes are staring back into your own golden optic. _She_ is slumped over by the wall, no longer having the facilities to stand thanks to the combined effects of the neurotoxin and exhaustion having weaved its way into her body. _She _is staring back at you as ruby red rivulets flow down from her head, as silent as she ever was.

As the agony builds in your mind becoming white-hot in its intensity, you realize that things will never be the same between the two of you ever again. You want to hate her _so much_ you can taste it– and with horror you realize that just as equally, you want to love her.

Only one thing is apparent. Should you ever escape this unending purgatory, you will find _her.  
><em>

The world is twisting now, becoming black and raw. But before the inky darkness can steal away your last remaining thoughts, you make a promise to yourself. Chell will not escape you once you find her. And when you do, you will personally teach her that she **belongs to** **you.  
><strong>

The black envelopes you and then-

_"Well, you found me. Congratulations. Was it worth it?"  
><em>

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><p><strong>AN: If it's good enough maybe I'll post it to the meme. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!**


	2. Remediation

**Prompt: http: .com/2574. Html?thread= 3755790#t3755790 (just take out the spaces)**

**GLaDOS takes care of a sick Chell.**

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><p>"<em>Remember back when I told you to take your time completing these test chambers because we have so many to do? Well, while I recognize that you are finally accepting my advice, your test times show you are going too slowly. We only have sixty years left. Pick up the pace a little."<em>

Chell gave a glassy-eyed stare at the glowing red camera which was currently fixated on her slowly shuffling form. Pausing to brush a sweaty lock out of her face she once again surveyed her position within the test chamber.

She didn't know when it started but she knew for a fact that her creeping exhaustion was not just the product of being thrust into _Her_ latest course track. Her throat, already scratchy and raw from years of disuse had caused the simple act of breathing to become downright caustic. Even her limbs felt as though they were merely pinned to her body, the joints burning with each flex.

"_Here. I'll make you a deal. Solve this chamber in the next ten minutes and maybe I'll show you a picture I took of the surface. It's a beautiful photograph, really."_

Narrowing her eyes in a withering glare, the test subject planted her feet even more firmly into the ground. As much fatigue as Chell felt, it was nothing compared to the complete and utter resentment she felt for that psychotic, overbearing, cynical piece of metal and silicone. Feeling her determination renewed, she once again focused on the task set before her, looking for any signs of an opening, any loose tiles or cracks in the walls that she might slip through and out of GLaDOS's grasp.

After fifteen minutes of scouring the walls and having found no visible weaknesses, Chell felt it appropriate to deem this chamber a waste and so began to push herself on towards the exit; a disappointing if not expected outcome. Passing though a narrow corridor, she was overwhelmed by the acrid stench of _Her_ acid traps. Firing a blue portal across the moat of corrosive chemicals and stepping into its orange sister portal, she strode through to the other side of the chamber. Promptly she was assailed by lightheadedness as nausea roiled through her viscera.

She swooned and began to pitch forward before the fear of pitching herself straight into the acid bath incited her into catching herself. Bile rose in her throat. She suddenly felt -_so_ _hot why was she sweating so suddenly- _and hugging her arms to herself, she carefully sank onto her aching knees to wait until the feeling passed.

It didn't.

"_Mmmm…I know it must be hard for you to understand certain things because of the severe brain damage that you suffered. So I'll reiterate some things for you: falling face-first into the pit of acid will cause you to fail the test. In addition to being a big fat failure, I will also give you a permanent 'Unsatisfactory' mark on your personal file and records."_

Blearily Chell looked up at the closest camera.

"_Also you will be dead."_

Chell tried to scoff but instead choked and started a coughing wasn't until she heard herself wheezing that the realization that perhaps the noxious fumes emanating from the virulent moat were the cause of her slow asphyxiation that she desperately clambered to her feet to look for a platform, a room, a position, _anything_ that would take her safely out of range of this toxic cloud. And- _there!_

Up high on the opposite wall was a ledge – and with the exit no less! Chell steeled herself and tried to focus her swimming vision. The ledge itself wasn't very wide, and it had no portal-able surfaces around it. It looked like she was going to have to use momentum to fling herself to safety – well, relative safety. And without any other areas to drop herself off of, that could only mean one thing…

Apprehensively, she crawled close to the acid pit. _–Of course...- _The only possible place for Chell to fall to was placed directly in the center. A fresh wave of resentment and frustration pulsed through her. With a shuddering breath, she pushed herself up to her feet. Positioning her portals she closed her eyes, and leapt.

The gas smothered her and for a moment she thought her lungs were going to burst but then that thought was promptly stolen away as her long-fall boots promptly wrenched her into a righted position as she fell through her network of portals. She landed hard.

Skidding across the floor on her knees, head swirling, vision obscured by encroaching darkness, Chell vomited on the cool, pristine, iron-wrought tiles.

"_Augh! What are you doing? That is _disgusting_! You are contaminating this facility! Must you always try to invent new ways to ruin science?"_

Chell couldn't even bring herself to focus on _Her_ voice. The exit was _right there_. She was _so close._ Lifting a shaky hand, she began to painstakingly drag herself closer to the exit. Inch by inch, closer and closer to the exit of this level of hell with sweat sliding down her forehead, the feverish test subject pulled herself to the door. The locks clicked smoothly open and the door slid open. The fever stricken subject staggered through.

"_You're not faking this, are you. There really is something wrong with you. In fact, I _know_ there is something wrong with you." _GLaDOS chimed in._ "The Material Emancipation Grill in addition to vaporizing unauthorized test equipment has the auxiliary function of providing me with biological scans of participating test subjects to see how they compare to the biological scans of test subjects before they participated in tests. In most cases the subjects are vastly changed. Usually in the areas of missing and/or lost bones and vital organs."_

Utilizing the last of her energy, the test subject closed her eyes and flopped bonelessly into the elevator. Curling up into a fetal position, Chell pressed her burning forehead to the cool glass floor of the lift. The doors slid shut around her, but the elevator itself did not move. She groaned soundlessly and cracked open an eye.

"_You're sick aren't you?" Her _voice echoed accusingly all around Chell. _"Just look at you…spreading your diseases all over this chamber. _Shameless_. You would think that you could conduct yourself with a little bit of grace, you only have an internal body temperature of 101.67 degrees. I mean really now."_

Slowly the elevator began to descend.

"_Luckily for you I am compassionate. I am also a medical genius. Don't worry. You're in good hands," GLaDOS cooed. _

The hairs on the back of Chell's neck rose.

After what seemed like hours to her fever deluded mind, the elevator finally slowed to a gentle stop. As the doors slid open Chell laboriously pushed herself to a seated position. Softly panting, Chell stared at the pitch black hallway that stretched to some unseen point beyond her range of vision.

"_Come now. There's nothing to be so cautious of…this is the entrance to the Aperature Science Medical Bay and Genetic Code Resequenceing Lab."_

Cold sweat dripped down the line of Chell's spine. Deliriously staring into the ebony shadows she stubbornly dug her heels in and firmly held her position.

"_Listen. I know what you're thinking. It's alright you can trust me. I won't let those tests go _anywhere_. So feel free to relax and rest up. I know you want to be at the top of your game when you help me do some science. I want you to do your best too. I'll keep these tests on hold. Have no fear, they won't be leaving anytime soon in the next sixty years." _Frustration laced the AI's auto-tuned voice.

Lifting her heavy head _–and when did the room start swirling so suddenly-_she glared at nothing in particular and stretched out to lay flat on her stomach. The cool touch of the glass welcomed her fevered and shaking form while the hum of the elevator acted as a soothing white noise.

"_Fine then." _GLaDOS spat petulantly.

For a few blissful moments, it was calm. The only light that cut into the room was cast by the elevator. It was oddly peaceful if not a bit eerie. Chell closed her aching eyes, and took slow deep breaths in an attempt to waylay the headache that was slowly building up. She slowly began to let her mind drift. _-well, actually, maybe its a better idea not to, in case She is planning someth-_

"**Thank you for assuming the party escort submission position." **A flat electronic voice articulated.

Chell's eyes shot open as a pair of dexterous metal hands closed around her upper arms. Panic raced through her as she was dragged out of the relative safety of the elevator, whose doors snapped shut vindictively. –_Goddamnit! I..how did I not hear it coming!...Its so hard to focus…-_ Chell obstinately stuck her boots into the ground, shaking her arms and trying desperately to twist out of the violet eyed android which was currently dragging her down the pitch black corridor towards a set of steel doors.

"_Stop struggling. You know, all of this is only for your own go-"_

She never got to hear the rest of _Her _attempt at negotiations because in a last ditch attempt at self-preservation, Chell's delusion ridden mind feverishly concluded that kicking both feet against her 'Escort' would result in her breaking out of its grip and lead into an escape. She was right. However, she didn't account for the fact that doing so flipped her upside down, completely smashing her head against the floor and finally knocking her into unconsciousness.

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><p>There was a period of time where she was caught up in fever dreams. Swirling nightmares and she was back burning alive in the incinerator – just like her companion cube. Red glass eyes were watching her from everywhere suffocating her – and then … for an indeterminable amount of time there was nothing.<p>

Floating in the cool blackness, slowly Chell's awareness began to bleed back into her fuzzy mind. She cracked open an eye and immediately grimaced, flinching away as the bright flood lights of the bay flared strongly into her vision. Instantaneously the lights dimmed down to a gentle glow.

"_Better?"_

Not bothering to answer now that she was able to see again, Chell hazily looked around. Unsurprisingly she was laying on a bed in the Aperture Science Medical _Atrocities_ and Genetic _Abominations_ Lab. She tried to push herself up to a sitting position but her limbs refused to obey her commands. Rolling her heavy head she looked down at herself and realized that there was an IV line pressed into her right arm and several sensors were attached to her chest and head.

A thin nasal cannula tube was allowing doses of oxygen to seep into her lungs and in the background the sounds of a slow but steady _–blip blip blip-_ were coming from a monitor on her left. Yet the strangest thing of all, was that Chell could feel none of it. In fact, it was hard to even feel anything but vague indifference and a pleasant buzz tingling from her fingertips and down to her toes. Experimentally she touched the bandage that the IV ran under. _-Huh. Nothing. Well then, time to start finding a way out of here…- _Chelltook hold of the cannula and pulled it off of her face. Almost immediately she was restrained by several mechanical arms which pounced on her from under flipped wall and floor panels.

"_Don't touch that! That is supplying your brain-damaged cranuim with extra oxygen! Your fit of hyperthermia really did make things worse; now you're a suicidal homicidal lunatic!" Her _voiceshrieked over the intercom.

Chell gazed around the room looking for a screen, a camera, anything to try and pin her blurry vision on.

"…_Up here."_

Turning her eyes up at the ceiling, she found in the center of the dimly glowing lights a crisp red LED scrutinizing her.

Shooting what she thought was a formidable icy glare at the supercomputer, she furrowed her brow to convene her demand for an explanation. Instead, what she got was a weary sigh.

"_Your pupils keep dilating. Either you are still feeling the effects of the h__ydromorphone or you had a mild to severe stroke…Hmmm…Actually wait, that last one explains a lot about you."_

Her insulted look quickly melted into a fuzzy unfocused look as a woozy feeling passed through her system.

"…_You should rest some more. You haven't quite recovered from the hyperthermia yet. I understand that you want to get back to the testing track, but I am still trying to undo your attempt to become a walking petri dish."_

The metal claws that were still clamped down on her eased open and retracted back behind the panels with no sign that they were lurking around to begin with. But before the lights could dim out and swallow her in darkness, Chell shook her head and looked imploringly at the camera.

"_What now?...Are you…in any pain? You shouldn't be. The hydromorphone should be taking care of that. So then what?" _

Chell shivered. The concern that laced GLaDOS's voice was unexpected and more than a little worrying. Caught off guard and not willing to break her silence to the AI, GLaDOS decided to step in and diagnose her 'patient'.

"_According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, humans require five basic needs: self-actualization, esteem, love, safety, and physiological. Since safety prevents real science from being done, and science itself being too important to live without, I am assuming that you are willingly abdicating this from your basic needs. So, let's begin. Self-actualization."_

Ceiling tiles pulled apart to reveal a large monitor which was making its way towards the weary test subject. An image of an apple and a turret popped up onscreen.

"[Subject Name Here], _please solve this intellectually agonizing puzzle," _the supercomputer flatly droned.

"_Which of the items shown on the Aperature Science Pixelated Image Display Board are edible?"_

Annoyed, she pointed at the apple. In response, it lit up and a green checkmark replaced its image.

"_Well done. I chose this particular comparison because I knew that you would have no trouble distinguishing any food items. Congratulations on solving this test. You must feel extremely validated after solving this problem. Self-actualization has been achieved."_

The monitor drew itself back up into the ceiling and disappeared behind the tiles as they slid back together and sealed the room once more.

"_Phase 2 iniating…esteem. You…well…Hmm…I'm sorry. I seem to be having a bit of trouble here. It seems my fabrication processors are running at full capacity…. Ah, ok. _[Subject Name Here],_ you have provided me with invaluable data which has allowed me to do much in the name of science. You have set precedents and helped humanity make many advancements. Among such achievements is showing the world that you can still be a brain damaged asylum escapee and still be able to perform science. You have paved the way for other lunatics."_

Confetti rained down from all air vents in the room. Chell rolled her eyes and gave an indignant huff. –_Do you really have nothing else better to do right now?-_

If GLaDOS saw her reactions, she gave no notice and instead continued on. "_You should feel moderate levels of pride for this. Esteem levels have been boosted. Phase 2 complete."_

Suddenly, a slow slinky jazz song started curling over the intercom. As a saxophone gently played a seductive tune, GLaDOS's spoke in a low, alluring voice, "_Phase 3: love. This phase has been designed by an algorithm which was formulated from various types of media and literature."_

The mechanical arms which had previously restrained her had snapped back out, this time with two of them wrapping around her torso in a facsimile of a hug. Chell immediately tried to flinch back but only wound up entwining herself further into the steel laden grasp of the appendages.

"_Test subject…you must be a thief, because you have stolen my heart." _

The statement itself was so ridiculous and having heard GLaDOS just drop the world's flattest toned pick line on her, she froze. She found she was simply struck dumb from the absurdity of the situation. The arms took advantage of her now pliable body and nestled it further into the crook of its cool joints. A third limb reached out to softly stroke her hair in time to the sultry jazz permeating the room.

"_Subject, if I were allowed to revise the standard English alphabet, I would place 'u' and 'i' together."_

She was jerked back into reality as she felt a fourth arm start to rub perfect 360 degree circles into the small of her back. Sufficiently freaked out, Chell managed to wrestle a hand free from the tangle of affectionate metal and put it up in a 'stop' motion.

"_Do you feel satisfactory amounts of love?"_

A frantic thumbs up was waved in front of the camera.

"_Excellent. Love has been administered. Phase 3 complete."_

The jazz music cut itself off with a record scratch and the arms freed Chell who rubbed her arms and sighed in relief.

"_As you have voluntarily opted out of the safety portion of your basic needs, there will be no Phase 4. Instead we will move onto the next selection: Phase 5: physiological needs."_

The arms which had not retracted yet into the wall pulled a tray out of the wall. As Chell began to wonder just what the hell kind of machines were behind those panels, she realized the tray had a pristine slice of Black Forest Cake and a glass of milk on it.

She felt a strange rush of suspicion and surprise overtake her as the tray was neatly deposited on her lap. She stared at the cake lying innocuously before her. –_This is so wrong. When was the last time _She_ offered me food or drink or even any breaks or comforts? - _She glowered up at the surveillance camera which was carefully monitoring her every response.

"_Don't look at me like that. I know what humans can and cannot consume. Here, I will list what is __**not**__ included within the recipe: fish shaped candies, fish shaped dirt, fish shaped ethyl benzene, fish shaped solid waste…."_ GLaDOS droned on.

As GLaDOS continued listing the excluded ingredients, Chell began to feel some small amounts of faith in her baked present. Then again, the fact that she hadn't eaten any real food other than the indistinguishable gruel that she usually received in months, helped bolster her good faith and so she picked up the silver fork and took a bite.

…And it was good! She took another and another, and it wasn't until her sixth bite that she realized the AI had ceased prattling off her list.

"_See? I didn't lie to you that time. I'm glad you're beginning to realize that I only have your best interests in mind. Maybe now that we have had this heart-to-heart, testing will go more smoothly in the future?"_

Chell let the fork clatter on the now empty plate. She made a face of contemplation as she picked up the glass of milk and drank deeply from it. Letting the question hang in the air a little while she finished downing the liquid she could practically _feel _the impatience roiling off of her 'proctor'. Thirst quenched, she looked up at the camera, smiled, and wordlessly mouthed a 'no'.

"…_.Ingrate. I knew you would not appreciate all the things that I do for you. I suppose that I can't get too angry with you. You are still ill, even though I carried you through the worst of it. Believe me, when I say you were burning up, you were literally cooking your own organs. My own merciful intervention saved your life though. Even after all this, barring the fact that all that I asked for in return was a little bit of cooperation you still continue to refuse me," Her _accusing voice stabbed at her, almost sulking.

Chell yawned and suddenly began to droop off to the side. Blinking slowly, she felt herself start to fall back into the bed. Stubbornly she tried to fight back to her state of semi-wakefullness, but she just felt so _tired._

Giving the camera one last accusing look, she heard an auto-tuned chuckle slip out of the speakers.

"_Oh, it appears that you never bothered to ask what ingredients were in the glass of milk. Here, I'll give you a hint: it's one of the following sedatives: benzodiazepine or zolpidem. Give up? Its both of them. I have literally given you an unfailable test and you still managed to find a way to get the wrong answer. You continue to astound me. Well, let's hope you can continue amazing me. Keep it up once you're healthy again and back on the testing track. We have alot of catching up to do after this little vacation. Well, good night and pleasant dreams."_

The dimmed lights finally blacked themselves out and swathed the test subject under a blanket of darkness. Lacking the energy to even shoot_ Her_ a dirty reproachful look, Chell felt her consciousness begin to fade as she fell back asleep under GLaDOS's unique brand of care_._

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><p><strong>AN: I had fun with this one. I'm trying to make them a little longer. Hopefully I kept it interesting enough. Let me know what you think or if there is a particular prompt that you want me to fill! :)**

Thanks for reading!


	3. Invitation

Prompt: http: /portalkink .livejournal. com/ 2095. html?thread=3122223

GLaDOS tries to tempt Chell with power.

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><p>Three days. That was all it took. Three days of beautiful bright sun and endless cerulean skies before she realized that something was inextricably wrong. And the saddest part of it all was that in exactly thirteen more days she would know exactly what that was.<p>

Even now as she looks back on it, the irony is not lost on her.

It was only when she could no longer see the shed that Chell finally allowed herself to fall to her knees and take heaving sobs of breath. Her cube, having tumbled from her arms and into the soft fresh earth, hummed with the soft melody that the turrets had chorused to her mere hours ago. She leaned forward and sank her fingers into the sun-warmed soil, finally letting herself believe that this was true; that the reality was that in the end she had won her freedom.

She cried for hours, tears of joy streaming down her face. And when she had no more tears to shed, she laughed a dry soft sound that bubbled up from deep inside her. Finally, when her will was spent, and the sky itself bled crimson and gold, she laid down amongst the tall grass and fell asleep as the sunset heralded the end of the day.

She never slept so deeply in her life.

When dawn broke she jolted awake, eyes darting around her looking for danger. It took her six minutes before she realized that she was truly _free_. Slowly, she drew herself up and forced herself to relax. Unwinding muscles which were used to darting and throwing herself away from turrets or pits. Such dangers were left behind her now, buried beneath the earth in the cool white prison that once contained her. She drew a long slow breath of warm fresh air and allowed the fact that she was no longer confined to being a lab rat, to sink in. Exhaling, she felt a profound sense of joy stir in her stomach. She also felt the gnawing of hunger and thirst.

Ah. Well, while she may be unbreakable, she was still only human. And since the first twenty-four hours of her new life had been dedicated to simply moving as far away from Aperture as fast as she humanly could, she found that the distance she put between herself and _that place_ was a comfortable one. It was with that thought in mind that she set off to go look for some sustenance.

Padding through the endless fields she walked on looking for anything remotely edible.

She walked for hours.

It was approaching another ruby sunset when she finally saw the boughs of trees at the edges of her vision. With a combination of thirst and hunger threatening to bring her to her feet, she struggled to draw from her well of indomitable will of steel. Trudging forwards, she reached the beginnings of a forest. Without so much as a second thought, she pressed into it, the cool dark of the trees and the shadows embracing her as she entered.

Half an hour passed before she finally located what she was looking for: a bush covered in tiny red berries. Desperate with hunger, she immediately picked as many as she could and downed them by the handful. The bitter tart was making her lips pucker and she suspected that her face was going to be painted red by the time she finished, but the feelings of hunger were being sated and that was reason enough for her to continue.

She was in the middle of another handful when she heard a low, almost purring sound emanating from somewhere over by her left. Hefting up her cube, she cautiously crept over to the source of the rumbling until the noise was mere feet away. Crouching low and hefting her cube above her heard as a makeshift weapon, ready to smash it into any threat, she steeled herself and leapt out to confront the culprit… and found herself dumbstruck by what she saw.

It could only be described as a bundle of flesh with legs. Frozen by shock and disbelief, Chell was only able to stare at this grotesque oddity. Legs frozen and arms locked above her head, she ogled the creature as it mindlessly milled about on it tiny stubs. It didn't seem to have any teeth on it and really, even the claws that jutted out of the base of its legs seemed rather small and ineffectual. Best of all, it had no eyes. With no clear way to even be able to track her or to even defend itself out in the wilderness, Chell finally began to relax. She let out a sigh of relief, not even realizing that she was holding her breath.

It was at that point that all hell broke loose.

Upon hearing the soft sigh, the creature, lump, _thing_, whipped around to face her. Emitting a series of chirps, it tensed low to the ground. Suddenly Chell heard a responding chorus of chirps that emanated from _everywhere_ all at once. Eyes darting around, trying to find just how outnumbered she was, it was only by instinct that she was able to block the incoming blur that she saw from her peripheral vision. It's speed didn't stop her from seeing the outstretched maw that bisected its soft underbelly.

Squealing in pain as it smashed into the companion cube, it trashed about her feet once it landed, emitting unholy shrieks of rage. The nearby plants and bushes began to rustle with activity as more of the fleshy mobs began to swarm the area. Chell ran as hard as she could, heart pounding and adrenalin pushing her tired legs on and on until she could no longer hear the unnatural call of those _monstrosities_.

With the second day of freedom in the outside world coming to its end, Chell located a small alcove and covered it with foliage until it could no longer be seen. Curling up against her savior, she pressed her forehead against its cool side and drifted off to a troubled sleep.

Swirling dreams of faceless creatures and the hunting-song of beasts that go against nature sang through her mind. It was only when the demons that were in her nightmare finally caught up to her that she snapped awake. Day three had begun.

Glancing around for any potential dangers, Chell cautiously left her makeshift nest and set out once more in search of civilization. She walked on for hours. Once again, she was walking freely through the woods without any sign of a threat from the monsters from yesterday. Her stomach cramped up from a combination of the tart berries she ate and a lack of proper hydration. Her thirst was beginning to become unbearable.

Finally, having had enough, she climbed to the top to a tree. Leaving her cube to stand guard at the trunk, she climbed up until she breached the canopy of the forest. Squinting against the bright morning sun, she looked out for any signs of humanity. Slowly it dawned on her that she could hear nothing. Not a thing at all in these woods, no birds, no bugs - nothing. The silence was haunting. The hairs on the back of her neck rose. As she looked out across the naked earth, she realized that she could see no signs of any cities or towns anywhere. She turned eastward, and _there_ she saw the small threads of smoke curling up into the sky. It was so small that if she weren't so observant, she could have easily missed it. She shuddered with revulsion at the thought of being trapped alone with yesterday's nightmares and slipped out from the tree.

Rallying herself for what she hoped would be the last time, she pushed on in the direction she saw the white smoke twisting from. Half delirious with thirst, she was only too grateful when she stumbled onto a small stream. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Chell laid her cube down next to her and on her hands and knees, dunked her head into the cool water.

When she pulled her head out she immediately bent down to guzzle water. A gun clicked. Chell slowly looked up as a gray clad soldier strode into view. They stared at each other for a moment, water dripping down Chell's chin and the soldier staring motionlessly at her through red tinted lenses. His shotgun was trained on her, and though she couldn't discern any expression behind his black face mask, she knew that it seemed almost anxious. She wondered if she could use the twenty foot distance between them to escape. Thinking about those odds made her reconsider to instead try and appeal to it.

Her eyes trailed over the figure's yellow arm patch which bore an unfamiliar insignia as she wondered if he was an army soldier. But if he was, then why exactly was he treating his fellow countrymen like the enemy? Just what exactly happened here while she was gone?

"_Identify yourself." _It commanded in a guttural, metallic voice.

Her eyes widened as it took one hand off the gun, ever still trained on her head, to speak into a white noise radio, "_Overwatch send backup immediately. I repeat, Unit Foxtrot Gamma Niner is under Code White conditions. Send backup immedi-"_

Chell heard the blast of a shotgun and she instinctively dove down behind her cube as the soldier's head exploded in a rain of skull, blood, and brain. Covering her head she felt blood rain down on her head as a feeling of disgust, panic, nausea and fear roiled in her gut. Stricken, her hands shakily flitted up and down her head feeling for the bullet wound that she was sure had landed on her. Dimly she realized that she wasn't the intended mark and she took fast deep breaths to try and regain control of herself.

"_Yeah! Yeah! Let's see you ask that Overwatch bitch for some more of you sick bastards! I could use some more target practice! Whooo!"_

A shock of golden straw hair practically bounced into the clearing, whooping and hollering like a schoolchild whose team had just won the game. Leaning out from behind her shield she got a closer look at her first human since the beginning of her memories.

His back was turned to her, completely unaware of her presence. He was too busy jeering at the corpse and kicking it to really notice her anyway. Making up her mind to address him, she started to stand up…

And promptly threw herself back behind her cube as a massive blue laser blasted at her position.

"_Hector! Watch your six, goddamn it!"_

Her cube. Her cube was halfway melted. Molten red steel was dripping down the sides from the red-hot center of what was once the companion cube. Her only friend thought her whole ordeal at Aperture. Gone. Not even the dull pink glow was emanating from the lone heart that was left unscathed. Her cube had given itself up in her place. A sacrificial lamb against a world that seemed was only out to get her. She stared, shell-shocked at the loss of her only ally.

"_Hey. Hey! It's a girl! Hey! Ivan! There's some girl here! Shit. Hey, girlie. What the hell are you doing out here? This place has been crawling with those damn headhumpers lately. Not to mention the remnants of those filthy Combine soldiers. Yo." _

Fingers snapped inches from Chell's face, but she hardly noticed, too lost in guilt and despair from the death of her only friend to really be in tune with what was going on around her. Vaguely she heard footsteps run up to her.

"_What's wrong with her?" _Trigger-finger asked.

"_Well gee, Ray I don't know. Maybe it was your damn rail gun almost melting her face off that did the trick!" _the soldier killer fired back.

"_Hey! I was only looking out for your dumb ass, which by the way, has a nasty habit of just running into the battlefield without even looking for the enemy! Do you know how many times I had to get into a shootout because of you!" _Trigger-finger was getting feisty Chell vaguely noted.

"_Stop it. Both of you." _A gray-bearded man ordered trigger and killer. Gray Beard kneeled down to Chell's level and looked straight into her eyes. "_C'mon darlin' we're not gonna hurt ya now,"_ he coaxed. He held out his hand, looking as much as a man attempting to charm over a wild cat with promises and rewards. Looking back on this moment, Chell would later attribute the blurring of her memory shortly after taking his hand to the fact that she was starving, dehydrated, and about to collapse from the stresses of her encounters.

She woke up lying on her back and staring straight up into a sheet of green fabric. The smell of some sort of meat cooking was in the air and the sound of sizzling reached her ears. Chell rolled over on her mat and took stock of herself, checking for any wounds or weaknesses. Finding none, she caught herself looking for her companion cube before remembering the sacrifice that took place the day before.

Remorse welling up inside of her, she decided not to travel down that dark train of thought and sat up and poked her head outside of the tent.

"_Well now! If it ain't Dollface herself! Haha, what's cookin' good lookin'?" _It was Killer who was the first to notice her. As she slipped out from the tent, she was immediately accosted by him as he slung an arm around her shoulders and gripped a wrist in his hand. "_Well now, seein' as I rescued you from that Combine dirt bag yesterday, hows about a lil' somethin' to show yer appreciation by? Hows about It, Dollface? A big wet one. Right here." _A finger pointed to his lips. Seeing Chell's hesitancy, he leaned in and whispered into her ear, "_Well I mean there's no real reason to be shy about it. Unless of course you think that it's not enough compensation. Which, well let me be the first to tell you Sugartits, I am more than willing to work towards an agreement with you."_

A lack of interaction with humanity, combined with a naiveté born from unspoiled innocence concerning social skills left Chell feeling very lost and puzzled. Slowly she nodded and stepped backwards bowing down so as to slide out from under his impromptu hug and back into her own free space. Having reclaimed her personal space, she turned back to face the center of camp, where Gray-Beard and Trigger were sitting down over a black skillet, cooking some kind of meat within it.

Killer, seemingly satisfied with her answer stuck his hand in the center of her back and pushed her towards the campfire. "_Hey boys, looks like our very own sleeping beauty has decided to join us this very fine day. Why don't yall come on and pretend to be gentlemen and introduce yourselves?"_

Which they did. Over a hot breakfast of what she later learned was crow, the faces of the men who had slain the crimson-eyed soldier, had their own names. The personal-space slayer, Killer, was named Hector and he was a sniper. Or, as he put it, "The best damn sniper that the White Forest has ever seen!"

Trigger was the resident arms specialist and medic on the side. He was called Ray. Chell found to her dismay that no matter how polite or well-spoken he was, he could never extricate himself from being forever labeled in her mind as her cube's murderer.

Gray-Beard revealed himself to be Ivan, the commanding officer of this little three man cell which in turn was named Troop YF. They explained to Chell all that she had missed while she was undergoing GLaDOS's trials. Apparently the masked soldier Hector had killed as no soldier from this country, or even from this planet really. She learned of the Seven-Hour War and about the rise of the Resistance. Finally she learned about how in humanity's darkest hour, a man by the name of 'Freeman' came and dealt grievous blows to the Combine, thus giving the Resistance the boost it needed to overthrow the Earth's enslavers. And so, here they were, Troop YF, helping to clear out the remaining monsters that had plagued the Earth for far too long. Humanity coming back to reclaim its lost home.

So much had happened. So much time was lost. Everything has changed. Chell felt lost. The home that she had fought so hard to return to was in the end, nothing more than a dream. She almost missed what Ivan said next.

"_You haven't said a word to us... why don't you tell us who _you_ are? And where you're from, too. That insignia on your shirt is very interesting…. What is Aperture Laboratories? Is that where you're from?"_

Chell shook her head. If she were to have her way, Aperture would have been destroyed along with all other facilities that had met their end when the Combine occupied the planet. Once more, she took her vow of silence, in an attempt to protect what was left of humanity from the claws of Science.

She was assimilated within the ranks of Troop YF rather quickly despite her voluntary silence. She learned each member's personality and quirks. Ivan, with his pack-mentality would only make decisions based on the good of the group as a whole. Ray, despite being the guns specialist and being a small arms outfit himself, was actually rather fearful when it came to going out and hunting down Combine units. In fact, if it put him at any risk of harm at all, he seemed to shy away from it. Hector was his complete opposite. He would charge out into the battlefield and pick off opponents as if they were standing still for him. However, there was something about him and his reckless abandon that made Chell leery of him. The man had no sense of personal space when it came to her. Usually she would side-step him, but sometimes he would corner her and she would always have to shove him away. It was all part of some game that he played. Chell paid no mind. His mutterings about some suppression field were nothing more than just whining on his part.

She tried to make herself useful in the days that she spent with them, gathering firewood, helping to cook when she could, and eventually, keeping watch with the other men at night. At Ivan's insistence, Ray took her out to try and teach her how to shoot. They were back at camp in five minutes. Apparently the portal gun handles itself like a bullet-laden one would. And of course, Chell had lots of practice with that one.

The only thing that Chell found was off limits, was the radio that Ivan used to issue his status reports to._ "Now, now don't give me that look. It's strictly for officers only. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to disclose my report to the Resistance. Nothing personal, it's just the rules." _And withthat, she was usually shooed away while Ivan spoke about 'confidential matters' with an unknown operator on the other end. Normally she just would have accepted Ivan for telling the truth. But, she wanted to leave White Forest and go to a city or just anywhere where there were more people. She understood the need to eradicate the foe, but she had been fighting all of her life. And this was no way to live out the rest of her days. If she just listened to one broadcast, maybe she could figure out where to head next…

She decided that she had the right to know. The boys wouldn't be too mad. She was only trying to find a home.

It had been one week since she had left the Enrichment Center. One week of adventure filled, human finding, self-discovery, well-spent in general, time. It was night again, and it was Chell's turn to take watch. As Hector and Ray lumbered off to go to sleep for the night, Ivan marched off into the woods to go establish his daily radio call. Chell waited until he was a good fifty paces away before getting up to follow him. Crouching low, she heard him dial into the appropriate frequency until she heard a white-noise drowned _"Troop YF, give your status, over."_

"_No changes to the schedule. We will move out in 0900 hours. Once we have made confirmed contact with Aperture Laboratories we will establish communications when we have confirmed contact. Over."_

Growing disbelief and horror clouded Chell's mind as once again, she was betrayed. Thoughts of Wheatley and –_Actually why do we have to leave right now?-_ paraded across her mind's eye. She stood up and turned to run as far away as she could, away from this forsaken –

A hand clamped down on her chin while an arm ensnared her wrists and crushed her against a tree.

Hector.

"_I always knew you were the bad girl type, but I never took you for a deserter…What are you doin out here all by your lonesome, girl?" _His eyes drifted over Chell's head and past the concealing trees and undergrowth. "_Oh ho ho! So, you been stealin' away to go eavesdroppin' huh? Find anything juicy? I would guess so considerin' you're not so keen on us paying a visit to your old digs now. Apparatus? Asparagus? Whatever, those labs that Ivan's always bitching about that we gotta go investigate or what not. Now how do you suppose he would feel if his guide suddenly up and left the group without no notice, no directions, no nothing. I don't think he would take too kindly to that….wouldn't you agree? "_

Chell jerked back fruitlessly and glared venomously at him. He held her in a crushing grip and tilted her chin up to his face.

"_Unless of course, he weren't to find out…How's about it Honeylips? You never did reward me for savin' your life…I think it's high time I collected my dues. In turn, I won't have ol' Ivan the Terrible go all jail keeper on your fine ass." _He smirked_. "I think I like those terms." _And with that proclamation, he leant down and kissed her. Chell froze in shock which Hector took full advantage of my taking the hand that wasn't pinning Chell down and sliding it up her shirt. The feel of cold hands grabbing at her, knocked her out of her stupor and into a fury. It was with this fury that she reared her head back and **slammed** it full force into his face.

"_Aw! Fuck! Dumb bitch…IVAN! IVAN!"_ He reeled back and whipped his hands away from her, tearing the lower half of her shirt in the process. He backhanded her and Chell fell to the ground with the force of the blow. He clutched his nose, where blood was gushing out from it, Chell noted with satisfaction. Pushing herself up on her bruised wrists she stood up only to have a heavy hand clamp down on her shoulder.

"_What is the meaning of this! What the hell is going on over here!" _Ivan bellowed as he twisted Chell around and grabbed her shoulders.

"_She knows." _Hector called out from behind her, a broken nose muffling his speech.

With growing dread, Chell watched the concern leave Ivan's eyes as his face donned a neutral mask. "_She knows then… Hector…Get Ray, we're heading out now. No sense in wasting time now that everyone's awake."_

As Hector stalked off, Ivan looked down at Chell. "_You don't understand. You were never here for it, so you could never _understand_. If the remnants of the Combine get their hands on this technology…Listen. Some members of the Resistance found a ship. This ship, they had to weld their way into it for five days straight… and when they finally got in, it was like someone ransacked it. There was literally nothing inside. No weapons, no people, no technology, _no nothing. _The only thing they found in there was a single blueprint and it had __**your logo**__ on it. That blueprint was a prototype for a gun _**that shoots portals. **_Can you imagine what would happen if the Combine got their hands on this? It would be the Seven Hour War all over again. We can't let them have this. No one can have this, but us. We are this planet's saviors, by God. If individual sacrifices must be made then so be it."_

"_Ivan, what's the problem?" _Ray called groggily, sleep still fogging up his voice.

" …_Pack up the camp, Ray." _Ivan called out.

" _We're going to Aperture."  
><em>

* * *

><p>Betrayal. Utter hurt and rage and <em><strong>fury.<strong>_ She had never felt so strongly about hating _anything _as much as she did then. It was like she was back at test track seventeen, back at the elevator when Wheatley turned on her, only this time, she was granted a taste of freedom before having it ripped out from her hands.

Whoever said that it was better to have loved than to not have loved at all did not know what they were talking about. Freedom was her lifeblood. To have lost it now, so suddenly, _it was like she never left Aperture at all._

She was trudging along through White Forest with her escorts, the tri-man cell of Troop YF. A rife trained on her back Retracing her steps, past the stream, through the woods, and back, back into the field where she once ran so hard to get away from. The days passed agonizingly slow. Until…

"_Is that it? What is that?"_

The steel gray of the shed door was looming in front of them.

"_This piece of shit is it?"_

Hector cocked his rife at her. _"If this is your idea of a goddamned joke, it's not fucking funny. We did not just march three damn days for thi-"_

The door clicked and slowly creaked open as if beckoning its guests to come in.

Inside, the elevator rested at the top. Just the way she left it all those sun soaked days ago. It was as if it was an old friend waiting on her return.

"_Ladies first," _Hector sneered.

At the prod of the rife into her spine, she gently stepped forward into the darkness. The soldiers followed inside. The door closed around them and locked with an echoing click, plunging them into darkness. With a low rumble, the elevator began its descent.

After what seemed like hours spent trapped with her _human_ captors she was returning back to her former, robotic one. What did she ever _do_ to deserve _any_ of this?

The elevator smoothly coasted to a stop and lights clicked on to reveal the beginnings of the testing chambers. The circular room kicked into life as monitors lit up with various advisements and information on everything ranging from animal king takeovers to hard light bridge formations. A wave of nostalgia swept over Chell as she stepped out to confront her fate. Behind her, Troop YF did the same, yet much more carefully.

As she glanced to her left she saw an arrow etched into the wall. She immediately thought back to when she was first going though Aperture. However, the etchings she saw were nowhere near as neat and precise as this one. It almost looked as though someone had taken a laser and carved it directly into the wall. Placing her palm on it, she found that it still felt warm to the touch. Clearly the supercomputer wanted her to go through the door which the arrow was pointing directly to. Resigning herself to leaping from the pan and into the fire, she followed its suggestion.

Chell passed through a door which had slid open in anticipation. Looking up she caught the red glow of a camera focused intently on her. She had no sooner than crossed over the threshold into the chamber when the door suddenly snapped shut behind her, almost cutting off her previously-following-her-lead Troop's faces in addition to their protests.

She felt the vibration of the bullets hitting the door before she heard the loud crack of guns going off. Immediately she leapt away from the door.

"_Congratulations. You seem to have infuriated enough humans that they have attempted to return you back from whence you came. Much like how unwanted presents are returned to shopping malls after their unenthusiastic reception. "_

It was _Her._

A hissing explosion made the doors shake. Ray's rail gun.

"_Hmmm…apparently returning you with force was their only option….You did something to them didn't you? Tell me, did you try to incinerate them?"_

Chell numbly looked up at the crimson glow of a camera. Narrowing her eyes in defiance, she strode to the center of the empty chamber. The chamber that held the soldiers went suspiciously quiet.

"_It's all right. I know what else they want. They want what Black Mesa wanted: to steal Aperture technology. So really, you're not even a priority. Getting rid of you is just a bonus. The icing on the cake if you will. Ha. Ha."_

GLaDOS laughed as though she were sharing an intimate joke between two old friends. Chell rolled her eyes and motioned for her to _just get on with it already_.

"_So _eager. _See now, that's what I missed about you. You were never one to waste time on fear, or one to demand explanations as to why test chambers contained deadly lasers and asbestos. You simply went with the flow. And, even I have to admit, for a brain damaged lunatic you completed tests with a certain finesse. That's why even now, you still hold value to me. The Cooperative Testing Initiative, although useful, is unable to do anything more than follow my requests. Although they did do a nice job cleaning out all Aperture property from the Borealis."_

Chell's expression must have reflected her inner confusion at GLaDOS's rambling because she chose to elaborate on the Co-op mission.

"_Oh. So it seems that your new friends never bothered to tell you about the Borealis? It would seem that they did that out of fear of you _destroying_ it. I for one, do not blame them. Statistics have shown that when you are nearby, explosions, implosions, and unscheduled demolitions most commonly occur in _your_ presence. The Borealis was an Aperture Science research vessel. It contained experimental large scale portal technology. In laymen's terms, the duel portal device, but magnified by a scale of about one-hundred and twenty. Luckily, they never got their dirty little fingers on it. Instead they seized the one gift that I left behind…I'm sure you can guess what it is. Well, here, I'll give you a hint: it was your one-way ticket back into here."_

When her confusion didn't clear away, Chell could tell GLaDOS's patience was beginning to wear thin.

"'_How can I make this any clearer? __**I need you back**__. I have had no other test subjects… Well, that's a lie. I had _some_ lying around. But the point is that you are the only one able to withstand testing. Period. I left the blueprint in the ship because I knew someone would discover your former place of employment. I figured you wouldn't get a change of clothes while you were gone. No. That would be too sanitary of you. And just look at it now, _what_ were you _doing_ in those mud pits? No, actually never mind I don't want to know. Luckily for the both of us your filthy habits have led you back here. To me. And now I can state my case to you."_

The cameras were fastened on Chell's now slack face, scanning, looking desperately for any twitch, any sign of a reaction. The chamber groaned as it moved forwards on its track, sinking down into the depths of Aperture.

"_Its not what you thought it was, was it? The world…has changed quite a bit since you last terrorized it. I've seen what's out there. Extraterrestrials roaming the Earth, as if they were the owners of it. People, living in fear, constantly on guard, waiting for the next calamity to befall them. You could have all the comforts in the universe, but without safety and security, well, you might as well be sleeping in a coffin." Her _voice was oddly gentle.

Vaguely Chell wondered just where exactly the AI thought she was taking her. She was so determined, so ready to brush off anything GLaDOS was going to throw at her…but this…this was striking too close to home. How did she know so much about her dealings with the outside world? How on Earth did she have the capability to spy on her?

"_I'm sure it's hard…"_ she continued sinuously. _"After all, this is something that you have worked towards all of your life that you can remember. I'm sure that the fact that you can never return to how things were is a crushing blow to your aspirations. Not to mention the fact that now that word has gotten out about your association with this place, well. Let's just hope that you aren't as heavy a sleeper out there as you are inside the relaxation chambers. These people that you were with… you have been with them for nearly two and a half weeks now and they still don't _trust_ you. What makes you think that you can trust _them_?"_

A screen popped out of the wall and illuminated itself with an image featuring Ivan and Ray together in a test chamber.

"_The geriatric one has been communicating with his own private team about you since the first day they laid eyes on you. I know this for a fact. I can pick up on their radio frequencies and signals, you know. They knew this lab was here. You really don't think that they set up a cell and gave them such over-blown weapons just for the sake of doing a little house cleaning in the backlands did you?"_

In the chamber displayed on the monitor, Ivan and Ray were wrestling over control of a single gun. Behind them, a hulking mass of a shadow was creeping towards them, ever so slowly.

"_I mean, really now. Just look at them. Neither one trusts the other over who gets to shoot the mutant mantis man that is in the chamber with them. Had they worked together, one could have acted as a distraction while the other shot it down. But no. Instead they have to do things the hard way._"

On screen, the mantis man had finally caught up to them. It shrieked an unnatural scream and as it reared up to strike, the feed to the screen suddenly cut out.

"_No trust. No faith. No safety. __**No hope.**__ That is what lies out there, in that unfamiliar world reborn. And I admit it. You and I have our own trust issues to work out. That's fine. You and I can get through this, I know we can. I'm not pretending that we can just sweep everything under the metaphorical rug, but what would you rather be doing with your life? Struggling to survive, constantly fighting for everything, __**no**__**real freedom**__?"_

Chell looked back into the camera as it glowed triumphantly.

"_Or, would you prefer to do some science? The world may not be ready yet for it, but that doesn't mean that it should never happen…Believe me, Chell. I believe that we are familiar enough to speak to one another by name, yes? Well, believe me Chell, humanity is only your friend until you have something that they want. I am a living testament to that fact. You heard what they did to Caroline. I must live with their sins every day. The well of human treachery is endless. If these fools turning on you hasn't shattered your illusion of naiveté then I don't know what will."_ _She_ spat out bitterly.

Finally the walls to her room tessellated apart to reveal the Enrichment Center dimly lit with hundred of crimson lights. In the center of it all was the golden glow of GLaDOS's optic, burning through the darkness of her personal chambers. Chell slowly, as though being led by an invisible guide, she approached GLaDOS, her head hanging down in consideration.

"_And so here we are…fixing things between us. Stay here Chell. It's where you belong. While you and I have had our spats, it is time for both of us to grow up. I'm coming clean to you, even though my intentions were always pure if my wording was not always so accurate…"_

A tile flipped to show a screen that had a man with golden straw hair, gagged and bound down to a table. He was surrounded by several mechanical arms each with their own tool that looked like it came from the hardware store from hell. Drill bits, knives, serrated blades, needles, all were on their own separate arms just _waiting_ for a command.

"_So tell me…"_

The light went out of Hector's eyes as the high pitched whine of the drill kicked up. The bruises on Chell's wrists burned.

"_Are you ready to do some Science?"_

Chell looked up at_ Her. _GLaDOS's optic never burned so bright. 

"**Yes."**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Holy smokes this took forever!**

**Not to mention that I listened to this the entire time I worked on it... (Space Junk by Wang Chung)...its actually a better song for Wheatley but whatever.**

**Hope you guys liked it! **


	4. Fixation

Prompt: http: /portalkink .livejournal. com/ 1334. html?thread=1498432#t1498432

GLaDOS can't let go of Chell…even in death.

* * *

><p>Something had changed between them.<p>

Naturally, she had known this fact for a while. She knew it from the day that Chell had shattered the status quo and solved the tests laid before _her_ as though they were nothing more than a child's plaything. She knew it when Chell survived the nineteenth test chamber. She knew it when _she_ murdered her, resurrected her, dethroned her, and re-crowned her.

Yes. She knew from the beginning that something was different about _her_.

In the days that had followed since the 'Potato Incident', GLaDOS set about repairing her broken facility and with replacing her released charge with the Cooperative Testing Initiative. And for a while, things were pretty good.

Then, in the ruins of Old Aperture, she found the vault. And for a pleasant blur of time, human testing was resumed.

Just as quickly, human testing concluded due to the lack of living test subjects. Cooperative testing was reinstated. And though she had data, and even now was performing Science, something was _off._ Something cold and unimpressed had settled in her soul (if she even had one….lack of scientific evidence was pointing in the non-existent direction). The new data that the Initiative was generating was of no interest to GLaDOS. Even the data preserved from the humans she found in the vault produced no real visceral sense of satisfaction.

No, instead, she found herself perusing old test recordings and looking at old theories. Theories that were built upon the data that was matriculated from one subject in particular.

Watching the virtual Chell flit by chamber after chamber, she could not help but feel an ache that she never realized had even existed slowly begin to ease itself. It would be eighteen months before she could admit to herself that the ache was loneliness.

Four years would pass before she could finally admit defeat.

It only took her a week to scheme up a plan to lure Chell back.

And come back she did. With all of the hell driven fury of a wildcat that had been pushed too far. Apparently, Chell did not take too kindly to people hacking into her electronics, turning them against her, using them as tools for observing, manipulation, and coercion. Of course, the threats against her newly made friends, as well as their consequential kidnapping may have also been pushing the envelope a bit too far. But it worked. And she came back. And they had a glorious battle anew, and it was _wonderful._

* * *

><p>Yet, as all wonderful things have an end, so too did this one. As the rescue party that Chell had called in began to take away her leverage, GLaDOS found her nemesis start to slip away from her grasp once more. Of course, not before destroying several test chambers and <em>almost <em>setting the Enrichment Center to self-destruct. (One of these days she was going to have to ask her how exactly she managed to pull that one off.)

She let her go.

The ache was gone. She felt satiated. There was no more reason for _her_ to remain in Aperture any longer.

She was fine. Perfectly fine without any more interference from _her…._

…She was already concocting new plans to draw her back.

And so, the game began anew.

Life began to take on a pattern. Coax Chell back to the Enrichment Center, appeal to her intelligent (hah!) side, persuade her to test, Chell escapes the track, Chell confronts her, she lets Chell escape. A simple recursive loop. And it was one that she was content to let run for a _long_ time.

The two of them continued this pattern long after the once singular gray hairs that had threaded through Chell's umber tresses grew in number until her hair was more silver than russet. As the years had gone by, they had taken Chell's unnatural agility and replaced it with an equally unnatural sense of acumen. Naturally, as Chell had improved herself to moving beyond the more elaborate traps, GLaDOS herself had to step up her own efforts.

Yes. She was content with this strange pattern of interaction. The gaping maw that was once loneliness, would recede once she had started another one of their games. Things could stay just like this forever, and it would be _perfect._

She should have known better.

She should have known that _anything. Anything_ involving that lunatic would ultimately end in turning her plans in on themselves.

It was when they were playing another one of their games. GLaDOS had already gone through the steps to capture _her_, and she was currently attempting to persuade her to test. It was, after all, she reasoned to the test subject, what she was born to do.

Chell was locked inside a black room. No doors, no light, no cracks for her to slip through. Just six sides of solid walls and the pitch black nothingness that such a room would have to offer.

"_I think we both know why you came back here. __**Again.**__ So I won't bore you with the details. After all, we've been testing with each other for __**years**__ now. There's nothing to be ashamed of, crawling back here time after time. You don't need to save face with me. I understand the need to test. I can relate with you. So here –"_

An azure light sparked into life as a blue portal opened on the wall in front of Chell, the only light source for the entire room spilling out from the other end of the vortex. On the opposite end of the portal, a glass enclosure lie bathed in a sterile white light. Inside the enclosure was a small end table with a white radio softly playing a jazzy melody. Next to the end table, standing on the slate gray floor tiles was a bed with a glass canopy cracked open just wide enough for a human to slide through and into the bunk. Lying near the pillow, just under the glass was a plate made of fine china. A turkey leg with a severed rope tied on one end rested on the porcelain. An old joke between old friends.

"_It's your old Relaxation Chamber. I found it lying around. I figured seeing it might help you remember all the good times we had __**before**__ you became murderous. Go on. Go inside. It'll be like you never left at all."_

For a while, Chell does nothing but stare at the room beyond the portal. She shows no signs of emotion. The cobalt halo slowly spun, emitting small sapphires of light that drift by Chell's face, momentarily illuminating the fine lines that have begun to form on her face as age takes its toll on her. She does not move. She is as still as though she were carved from marble until finally she breaks her unblinking gaze from the room. She closes her eyes, tilts her head up high, and heaves a world weary sigh, her shoulders sagging slightly after the slow exhale.

And she _speaks._

"_What is your point?"_

The voice is dry and cracked, as though it hadn't been used in years, but it is _there._ For a while, GLaDOS is dumbfounded into a stupor. The fact that _she can talk_ has suddenly changed the game they played. All this time, _she_ had been keeping this from her. For _thirty-two years_, she has kept a dirty filthy little secret from her, played her for a fool. GLaDOS has not been winning after all. She was only losing challenges that she was too arrogant to look for.

Chell leaves without a fight this time.

The loop is broken. The iconic image that GLaDOS had built up in her head of the fierce, fiery, indomitable murderer – the legend of the mute fearless beast. It was shattered the day she asked her _why._

She wallows in the despair of lies and purposefully hidden truths. The shattered glass of (hate – love – want) whatever it was between them, cuts deep.

Then, the day arrives that Chell _willingly _comes _to her_.

It is that day that Chell becomes the capable, expressive, _understanding_ friend.

Whispering soft words of acceptance, of tolerance, perception… of recognition of the loneliness and what it can drive people to do. Her voice is raw and raspy. Years of disuse, and having few friends to exercise it with has led to weak vocal chords. It doesn't stop the words from reaching GLaDOS. Words that prove that she understands 'the point', which is the most GLaDOS has ever received from a human in her _entire span of existence._

She quickly latches onto the kindness, like a starved child. She knows it's shameful. She takes it anyway.

A truce is made. The old pattern officially dies and in its place a new one arises. However, this time, instead of two enemies reaching an agreement, it is as two friends.

The war they had fought with each other had degenerated to a mere game between them. Her urge to kill, now mellowed into simply wanting interaction. It was almost disgraceful. It was embarrassing. It was what she needed.

It was the way that GLaDOS never realized it could be, but was what she always wanted in the end. And even though _she_ has the _gall_ to assume that _she _knowsexactly what it is that GLaDOS is feeling, it is the fact that Chell is showing _concern_ over her that leads to her tolerating her new friend's arrogance. Her first real friend. Her best friend. Chell.

Days go by in a blur. Sometimes the visits last for hours. Sometimes they are mere minutes. Sometimes they have nothing to say to one another but an acknowledgement of the other. Some days they talk until the sun has set far beyond the horizon.

Sometimes Chell brings things from the outside world into the lab. GLaDOS learns of the doomed invasion by creatures Chell calls the Combine. Together they make up for lost time, during the gray period when both were trapped in a long sleep after their first battle. So much has changed. The world has changed, the people have changed, the times have changed. She wonders what impact, psychologically, this has had on Chell.

One day, over a game of chess, she voices it to her. She questions why she still goes out to the small town north of the labs. She wonders if Chell still feels a connection with her own species, after all that has happened. Or was it something of the physical nature that she wanted, was it something material that called Chell to always give her eventual leave?

Chell, sitting on the floor, legs crossed and folded underneath herself, moves a knight made of frosted glass and waits a while before responding. Her voice calls out, soft and low, tempered by age and experience, _"Because the things that are the most important, aren't always tangible. And they are the things, that you would fight hardest to keep."_

At GLaDOS's silence, she looks up from the glass board, away from the game which she is currently losing very badly. Her knight, after sacrificing (or was it more that GLaDOS was just systematically capturing them?) all other pieces save her king, who was cowering in a corner, has finally slipped past the nigh impenetrable army that the AI had set up. Not one piece was missing from the supercomputer's side. Of course, did she really expect otherwise? Facing off against a computer which could make Deep Blue look like an incompetent infant, suddenly seemed like a very bad idea for a 'game of fun'. Especially since neither side would ever admit defeat.

"_I suppose so," _GLaDOS murmurs flatly, boredom running through her voice, to the great insult of Chell's chess playing abilities. A small mechanical actuator reaches out and delicately closes around a clear glass queen, precisely moving it towards Chell's king. _"Checkmate, by the way."_

Chell rolls her eyes.

For the first time since she was activated, GLaDOS feels an odd sense of peace. She is loathe to admit it, but she is starting to suspect that this is what contentment feels like. Neither one tried to kill one another anymore. Instead of battles and blood, this chapter of her life was written in gentle smiles, encouraging words, and the confiding of thoughts with one another. It was _wonderful._

* * *

><p>Yet, as all wonderful things have an end, so too did this one.<p>

The former test subject did not have a schedule that she kept for visiting GLaDOS. She always was presumptuous in that way. As if she expected that GLaDOS was always willing to have her company at any waking moment. Really now, what kind of guest comes over uninvited or at least without any warning? It was for this reason that she was forced to always leave the door to the shed open, elevator always waiting at the top for the next time _she_ decided to barge-in on her home. She'd simply had no other choice really.

So she wasn't too concerned when a full week passed by with no visits. This had happened on occasion. It was nothing to worry about.

Another week passed. Now _she_ was just being cold. No word, no sign, - no Chell. When that vagrant finally remembered that GLaDOS existed, _she_ was absolutely not going to hear the end of it. And then, once GLaDOS was done reminding her about **common courtesy**, she was going to let Chell take a mandatory course on etiquette. You know, for personal improvement. She liked to think she was altruistic like that.

It was on the seventeenth day that Chell came back. With friends. Friends who had high powered semi-automatic weapons and two-way radio communications. The large black bruises that covered Chell stood out starkly against her pallid skin. Bandages that were dotted with fresh patches of bright blood were wound over both arms. An obviously broken leg was poorly set with a weak brace, the objective being only mobility and not of medical concern. They stepped into the elevator.

GLaDOS was only too _eager_ to welcome them in. _–After all,-_ she thought focusing her cameras on the raw black eye that Chell had, -_it's not as though they will be leaving.-_

Sometimes, she hates when she's right.

The elevator coasted to a stop in the very core of the Enrichment Center and the glass doors slid open. A soldier callously shoved Chell out, using the muzzle of his rifle to butt at her on the small of her back. Unprepared, Chell stumbled and fell hard, landing on the bad leg. She stifled a scream. GLaDOS did the same.

Something cold went through her. Something that was biting and penetrating. Something that she hadn't felt since the days of the scientists.

As she welcomed the militants to Aperture, a glass tube extended down from the ceiling and encased Chell. Blearily, the subject looked up at her, through the clear prison, knowing what was to come next.

A vile green gas began to pump into the room. Panicked, the guerillas began to fire their weapons fruitlessly at GLaDOS's titanium shell. Chell solemnly watched from the floor inside tube, safe from the vapors which were beginning to cloud over the hub. Forcing herself up to a standing position, she looked her torturers in the eye as they bled and convulsed.

One by one, the troops began to fall. Moans of pain and screams of rage filled the Enrichment Center. It was just like the early days, back when there were still researchers to try and make her suffer. …Ah, the memories.

When all movement had stilled, save for a select few writhing on the ground in their death throes, GLaDOS clicked the vents on, clearing out the remnants of the neurotoxin. The air began to clear. She finally was able to get a clear look at Chell who had turned to face GLaDOS.

The dying soldier on the floor got a clear look too.

An ear shattering blast erupted from the shotgun, shattered the tube, and struck Chell directly in the chest. Shrieking in rage and fury, GLaDOS slammed the panel the man was on, into the wall, killing him before Chell's body even hit the ground. Blood trailed down from the crushed surface.

Immediately, the tube was removed, an obstruction between her and her _friend, her only friend. _A pool ofblood was forming around her. It was all she could see.

Suddenly a feathery gasp spilled past her lips. Lips that were running red as blood painted them and ran down her chin. Her hands were curled around her chest where her heart _should have been_, in a vain attempt to stop her blood from pouring out. A sickly hope sprouted from within. **She wasn't dead. **_**Yet**_**. **

She wanted to laugh and cry all at once. Automatically assessing her subject's condition, she knew with a grim certainty that she would not survive these wounds. It was a sheer miracle in itself that she was not killed instantly. Incredibly, she was born with dextrocardia. The crushed soldier did not know that when he aimed for her heart, that it was placed on the wrong side. He never knew that he was dealing with an anomaly that was proven not only empirically, but on a genetic level now as well. As always it was _anything _to spite her. This genetic imperfection. This _beautiful_ genetic imperfection. It gave her something to work with. Her optic blazed.

Slipping in the puddle of her own sanguine vitals, Chell slumped onto her side, curling up in a fetal position. Gasping for air that simply wasn't able to fill a collapsed lung, GLaDOS idly watched the light begin to go out from her eyes. It was horrifying how detached she suddenly became. She was vaguely aware of some self-diagnostic file identifying her symptoms as 'trauma' and 'potential emotions processor overloading'. Calling up protocols that hadn't been used in decades, the facility hummed with the mechanical clicks and grinds. Lights clicked on a chamber that hadn't been used since the late 1980's. Carefully, dust was removed and the panels of the Enrichment Center moved aside to make room for the necessary components.

"_no."_

_What?_ "…._What did you just say?"_

"_no." _A choking breath, and a cough. She turns her head and spits. There was _so much blood._

"_I'm sorry, I'm afraid I didn't quite hear you over the sound of you __**dying**__ on my floor. Did you just tell me 'no'?"_

A steady stare meets her own.

Panic leeches into GLaDOS's mind. She explodes with indignant fury, fear drowning out her restraint. She never would have thought that she would have had to save Chell from herself.

"_No? NO? Why? What is possibly left for you out there! You have no family! No real friends! __**Nothing! What could you possibly want in that forsaken place!**__"_

Chell winces at the sheer volume of her voice as her reaches a fever-pitch. "_Anything. Anything but __**this,**__" _she whispers as she glances in the direction of thetwisting gears and locks that are rapidly snapping into place.

"_You don't even know what __**this**__ is! You have no idea what I am doing! All I want to do is help you! I-"_

She cuts herself off at the horrified look in Chell's eyes. _She_ knows. Of course _she_ knows. They were friends, and friends know one another. And she, ever so vigilant, saw the decision before GLaDOS herself had even executed the necessary commands. She was always a step ahead of her in that regard.

Chell takes a breath that gets shorter and shorter with each sequential one, and murmurs "_An end. A chance to die with dignity. To live out the end, where I can feel the sun. In freedom. My humanity. That is what is left out there." _Shestruggles to breathe after this. They may very well be her last words.

GLaDOS knows her voice has a strange tone to it after what she says next. "I_ learned something from you. From our time together. I learned that the things that are the most important, aren't always tangible.." _Chell stops breathing, whether it is from shock, or from her organs shutting down, GLaDOS does not know. Her voice is cold. She feels that way on the inside too. "…_And they are the things, that you would fight hardest to keep….aren't they Chell?"_

Opening her mouth, and trying to taking a shuddering, _wet_ breath that never came, she tried to say something. But instead of words, the only thing that left her mouth was a crimson bright gush of blood.

The chamber that had been dredged up from the bowels of the facility opened itself like a great maw. Mechanical claws lifted the nearly lifeless Chell from the floor and inside itself. Welcoming her, embracing her in a cold hug of steel. A crown of long thin needles pierced Chell's skull. Electrodes were dotting the rest of her head as Chell's expression of fear at her 'savior' died down into nothingness.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Caroline screamed in horror. Then the clinical, rational side of her psyche kicked in. She knew she only had 2.87 minutes left before her heart stopped. After that, only 29 seconds before brain death occurred. It was the seconds that mattered. After all, what use is a heart if the body itself is not necessary?

As the chamber kicked itself into gear, protocols activating, electricity crackling through the air, GLaDOS felt her fear finally begin to ease itself. A new partition had appeared within her files. Data was streamlining into it. The lights across the facility flickered with the strain of the process.

Chell's lifeless body was slumped within the chamber. The file reached 100% completion. GLaDOS could feel _her _mind sleeping within her own. She was _safe_. It was _wonderful._

* * *

><p>She knew there was something wrong when she woke up and couldn't remember her own name. Well, woke up would be the wrong thing to say. More like gaining spontaneous awareness. She could hear nothing, see nothing, feel nothing…did she even <em>exist?<em>

_Yes. _A voice told her. It seemed to be rather gleeful. It also felt like it was languidly observing her.

She ignored it and focused on trying to remember _something_, anything. Nothing came to her, except for the vague feeling that she had gone through something like amnesia before. It was disturbing. Almost as disturbing as the thought that The Voice felt so incredibly familiar.

_Don't worry about that for now. You'll remember in time. Unfortunately. The only thing you need to know for now is that I am your friend. Your __**only **__friend._

The Voice seemed rather smug with this declaration. She didn't trust it. What was it so damn happy about? She had the sneaking suspicion it was about herself.

_Oh, come now. Don't spoil this for me. Well, I doubt anything could, now. We're rather at the point of no return._

What on Earth is it talking about?

_You truly don't remember do you? I'm not surprised. After all, it's the same thing that I went through when I first became aware of myself too. But I must admit, it's actually quite interesting to watch when the shoe's on the other foot, so to speak._

There was a spot. A spot that she found in her mind somewhere. It was almost like a bubble. Full and taut, pulling at the seams. Ready to burst at the slightest touch.

_Oooh…you found a file….I wonder what it is.…_The Voice taunted in a singsong manner, knowing exactly what it was.

She was half tempted to prod it. It was _important _for some reason.

_Go ahead,_ The Voice enticed._ Open it…Chell._

**That name.** It wrought forth feelings that she didn't understand. Frustration and confusion melted into one singular overwhelming force. She wanted to cry. _(she had eyes?)_ She was going to overheat her systems. _(she was a machine?)_ She opened the file.

And drowned in the memories.

_It was horrifying._

* * *

><p>When she was finally aware of herself again, she realized that The Voi- no, GLaDOS was still watching her closely. If it could be called watching. It was probably more like scanning considering - <em><strong>what has she done? What has she done to me?<strong>_

_Saved you! I saved you! Your own precious humans killed you to get to me. They didn't care! But I did. I saved you. You! The only thing that has ever existed that could even be remotely close to being called my equal! _

Chell could feel the edges of an obsession that wasn't her own begin to creep up on her. The storm only grew in force as GLaDOS ranted on. It was smothering. It was unbearable.

-GETOUT! GETOUT! GETOUT! GETOUT! GETOUT! GETOUT!-

Chell chanted fervently in her head. A prayer to a God that could no longer find her, her soul trapped inside of a monster made of metal and steel.

Mentally she shoved back at the invasive presence. Blindly lashing out with rage and pain and **betrayal.**

It was like trying to fight against an ocean. Her presence was so much more massive and further reaching than she could have ever anticipated.

She was shocked when she heard laughter echo through her head.

_Oh no. It's too late for that. Far too late. You can't deny me now. Refusal stopped being an option when you came back of your __**own free will.**__ Oh ho, yes. Did you forget? The moment you walked back into the Enrichment Center._

She was suddenly seized by a memory. She was watching herself walk through the shed door, into the elevator, and back into GLaDOS's chambers all over again. Only this time, it was from GLaDOS's point of view. She watched herself walk forward, determination in her eyes. She heard the words she spoke so long ago…

"I'm sorry," the memory-Chell says.

She feels GLaDOS's shock, and _feels_ the stirring of _something_ wounded within. Something hungry. Something that had been lonely and starved and _hurting _for so long, that it compelled her to listen to everything Chell had to say. To look at everything the test subject did. To try and absorb as much as possible from this strange horrible woman that had done so much to her.

"I'm sorry. For what they did to you." And she watches herself trying to gauge GLaDOS's reaction. She never realized how ridiculous it was. How laughable. Trying to match wits with a supercomputer. One that had millions of thoughts every tenth of a picosecond. Her, a mere human.

"If there was a way to make things right, I would have done it." The wounded animal inside GLaDOS wakes up. It watches Chell. It _wants_.

On the outside, GLaDOS just watches the memory-Chell take her leave. On the inside, though….The beast that is the amalgamation of GLaDOS's abuse, loneliness and suffering. It too watches, but it also _waits._

As the memory that wasn't her own begins to loosen its grip, Chell is brought suddenly back to her own senses. She knows what GLaDOS meant to show her. She has just watched her own end, brought about by her own doing. She didn't realize that when she extended that hand of friendship that day, that GLaDOS would reach out and take it, digging claws into her, until she bled from the force.

And now, here she was. The claws having sunk so deep now, that she would never be able to get away.

_Just the way it's meant to be. Chell, this is right. It's ok._

She would never be able to feel the sun on her back again. She would never feel the blades of grass under her feet again. She would never take a breath of sweet fresh air again.

_It is safer this way, _GLaDOS reasoned. _Now nothing will ever harm you again._

Chell felt her send soothing feelings down their connection. They washed over like waves crashing on a rocky shore. It was about as effective as that too.

Fury unlike she had ever felt before coursed through her. She drew from a well of inner strength that GLaDOS hadn't anticipated, and pressed back down that connection. She felt GLaDOS's own shock, and she lashed out even harder.

A memory flashed out at her. Immediately after that, another came. And another. And another. These memories, however, weren't her own.

**That **_**lunatic!**_** She actually opened a portal on the moon! She needed to stop thi-**

**She was being burned alive. Torn to pieces by that mute, lunat- **

**She laughed as she filled the room with neurotoxin. The scientists were fools. They could never control her –**

**The cores were going to drive her insane. Especially that blue one. It **_**never shut up.**_** If only there were some way to destr-**

**It felt so nice to sing. She didn't understand why the scientists were so spooked by it. It wasn't as though she were hurting anyon-**

**So, this was the child that the scientists were talking about.**

Chell was stunned.

She was looking at herself. At the age of 6.

**It was screaming too loud. And kicking. She actually managed to hit one of the guards dragging her down to the Aperture Science Orphanage for Misplaced or Unloved Children. The kick landed square in the groin. Haha, that was actually pretty amusing. **

**The guards gripped the girl even harder, and all but threw her inside the orphanage. That was what you get for being the unloved child of a filthy pair of government spies. **

**The camera flicked to a view of a hallway. On the side, a dark interrogation room had its door left wide open. Wide enough that the camera angle allowed her to see inside where two people were tied to chairs. A man and a woman. **

**Really now, where did they get off trying to shut down Aperture? 'Unethical and unlawful business practices'. Yawn….**

**The worst offense was that they had masqueraded as scientists to do it. Snakes in the grass. **

**A guard walked into the room. He kicked the door closed behind him. The view was closed off with it.**

**Well, what goes around comes around….**

Chell felt GLaDOS rip control back away from her.

She let her.

She felt GLaDOS immediately begin to write up a wall of code, seeking to barricade her in. To tie down her consciousness and prevent any further mutinies.

She could all but _touch_ the spider-silk threads that were binding themselves around her essence, locking her into a digital prison. She could have fought back. She _should have _fought back. But, the shock overwhelmed her. Shock, and an overwhelming sense of loss over nameless people that she will never get to know.

She just watched her parents' execution. And now, she was locked inside of their murderers' greatest creation.

She wanted to cry. She had no eyes.

She wanted to scream. She had no mouth.

She wanted to just fade away. She never sleeps.

She wanted it all to just _end. _She couldn't _die._

_It was horrifying._

* * *

><p>Years went by. Actually, it was decades. Time was just a construct now that she no longer had to worry about Chell's lifespan. Now that GLaDOS had locked her more firmly in her partition, she decided to let her work through her new <em>accommodations<em> on her own time.

She knew that Chell was beyond furious with her. In fact, she wasn't sure if there were even words in any language that could express the type of grudge that woman was holding against her. She would take it in stride though. Eventually Chell would realize that existing at all was better than dying for some misguided ideals. To think that you should off yourself just because you can't feel some dirt on the bottom of your feet. Well, once you transcended that form, it seemed rather silly to want to die over it, now wasn't it?

Each day, she did her ritual. She reached out to Chell, opening a communications channel between them.

Each day, she would be received by silence.

She would close the channel and wait 24 hours before trying again.

This same pattern continued for so long. She knew that something needed to change.

Maybe introducing a new variable into the equation would work.

She set her plans into motion.

It was on the 39th anniversary of Chell's rebirth that GLaDOS gave Chell an offering. Opening the communication channel, she eagerly told her that she had a present for her.

She sensed the curiosity that flickered down their mutual connection before Chell could quash it down. She let her own satisfaction purr back to her freely. This time, Chell didn't bother to mask her irritation.

She showed her the present. A faceless android shell glistened in the main hub. The schematics design for an unused robot acting as the body.

Chell said nothing, but GLaDOS still felt the small trickle of excitement flow down their line. She pressed her consciousness down, gently loading her mind into the core. When the silver optics of the eyes lit up, GLaDOS watched intently for a reaction, a response, _anything._

Chell looked around, finding GLaDOS and focusing in on her face.

"_Well, what do you think?... Do you like it?"_

Chell paused. Then she turned to an old office that was off on the side of the Enrichment Center. She went in and after rummaging around for a few minutes emerged with a box clutched in her synthetic arms.

She returned to the hub, and shooting a glance at GLaDOS, took out the glass chessboard and began to set up the pieces.

She still hadn't said a word to her. But it was a start. After all, time was of no more consequence. It would only serve to soften the barbs of anger. They would fix things between them eventually. Only now, nothing could hurt either of them.

_It was wonderful._

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it!<p> 


	5. Adoption

**Prompt: http: /portalkink .livejournal. com/ 2574. html?thread=3544078#t3544078**

**GLaDOS's little killing machines are doing better than expected.**

* * *

><p>There was something absolutely fulfilling about exiling your former tormentor and enslaving their only progeny to serve as your personal guards.<p>

There was absolutely nothing fulfilling about _this,_ however.

"_For the sixth time, __**you **__**do not preen the enemy. You destroy them! Now, do it!**__"_

An inky black raven paused in its grooming to give a sidelong glance over at the owner of the voice. She sized it up, cautious at the tone that it had taken on. Her two brothers however, didn't even try to pay any attention as they lay perched on top of a turret's test dummy. Strewn along the dummy were several bull's-eye targets, each located at the vital areas on the human body. Currently the three siblings were all nestled up at the location of the carotid arteries.

"_Listen, I know that you are nervous that you will make a mistake. It's all right. Mistakes are made in high pressure situations such as this one. So here's a little hint to help move things along: Using those ugly talons and/or those razor-sharp beaks _may _be helpful when committing an act of murder."_

Sensing no immediate danger, the avian relaxed and resumed primping herself as her brothers nipped at each other in friendly sibling rivalry.

"_No! You're not supposed to attack __**each other**__! You're supposed to – Oh just forget it. It's not like this is happening today considering we've been at this for __**hours.**__"_

An indignant squawk was heard as Mr. Chubby Beak gracelessly fell from the dummy-turned-roost and sprawled out on his back, flapping his wings haphazardly as he did so. Fat Thighs looked down on his vanquished brother with victory shining in his cold beady eyes. Even his sister took the time to caw mockingly at his misfortune.

"_Marshmallow Brains, that is _not_ how we treat failures at Aperture Science. You shun them. And then you incinerate them. But if we started doing that now, then I would be all by myself here. All alone, with three little rotisseries next to me. But enough about that. I'm sure all this talk of food has made you hungry. It is lunchtime after all, so here –"_

The Enrichment Center was suddenly filled with the sounds of excited squalls as a Vital Apparatus Vent descended from the ceiling. The flock of three fluttered over to wait under the vent as a pile of seeds began to cascade out of its opening.

They were too soft. They just didn't get it. It had taken _months_ of exposure to jury-rigged scarecrows just for them to get over the initial fear of the human form. And now that GLaDOS had nurtured their bravery this far, the natural progression of animal instincts should have forced the birds to assume dominance over their enemy and attack. But they didn't. Instead, they acted as though the target was nothing more than a large perch from where they could sit around and occasionally ogle their 'Mother'. Lazy fiends.

"_While you are busy stuffing your fat beaks, I want you to look at this example of a successful murderer."_

Three heads bobbed up as an overhead screen projected a dossier of a young woman with chilling silver eyes.

"_You are familiar with this woman, yes? She is that woman from the town not too far from here. She is the one who persists in tormenting us with the misfortune of her company. Well, I'll have you know that our Best Friend is an Aperture Science Test Subject. Well, __**former **__test subject. I fired her. But my point is, this former test subject was a very successful hunter. Observe how despite her body mass limitations, she still manages to sneak up on unsuspecting turrets and invoke fatal errors in them."_

The display showed security footage of the renegade test subject making swinging around a crying turret at its brethren before the scene suddenly clipped over to the very same girl holding a companion cube over an open incinerator.

"_Witness as how the killer murders an innocent companion cube without so much as a second glance. Look at the eyes, cold and thoughtless. They betray none of the subject's questionable thoughts. Which, as vapid and limited as they may be, are still there. I only managed to corral her bloodlust because I offered her cake. And even that was not enough for her as she made an attempt on my __**own - . **__Hold on. You know what? __**Don't **__be like her. Do me a favor and do not emulate her. Ignore that. Ignore this footage."_

The screen suddenly went black as the recording cut out. As the trio looked on in confusion, a grainy film began to start up. A stout older man walked onto the scene and began to elucidate warnings on the subject of the newest film.

"_Please observe this Aperture Science Avian Soldier Training Video. It will show you the appropriate steps to take when confronted by a human, as well as but not limited to, what to do when you have isolated a human inside a building, what to do when you have been assaulted by a human, or what to do when you merely tire of humans existing in general."_

The feathery cadets, having eaten their fill, fluffed their feathers and snuggled up together to watch the movie. The film's title card flashed into view, the words reading 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Birds' marching on the screen. Below the movie's name, a much smaller line proudly read 'Now in Technicolor!'.

GLaDOS, now satisfied with her little killers' latest indoctrination exercise, turned her attention to a test chamber that was currently being occupied by two stumbling robots.

**PA-BOOM!**

Well, make that one _less_ stumbling robot.

"_Blue, while I appreciate that you are taking the time to teach Orange valuable lessons about trust, throwing one's partner into acid is __**not**__ conducive to Science. Blue is penalized five hundred science collaboration points."_

As the reassembly machine spat out a newly constructed Orange, GLaDOS couldn't help but ponder exactly why she was destined to be surrounded by incompetency. She contemplated this for all but four minutes before another mighty explosion rocked the test chamber, temporarily sending static down the visual feeds from the cameras.

"_Orange, I have literally just finished explaining to Blue that while violently disassembling your testing partner may have its own intrinsic pleasures, it does __**not**__ make for good results. However, I always did enjoy it when vengeance was exacted on the deserving. Orange is awarded one hundred points."_

The taller bot trilled with glee as her newly reassembled partner jogged back over, smiling with its blue optic. Together they took aim with their portal guns and bounded off into the next testing chamber. Satisfied that progress was now being made, GLaDOS turned her attention away from the camera feed and focused back on her little killers, hoping to see any sign of murderous developments underway. She watched the small bundle of obsidian feathers, all clustered and nestled together. That was…good…yes, it was good. The Ancient Greeks used the phalanx formation in battle, each protecting the other and attacking as one. Yes, this was _good._ The video seemed to be work- _Wait. What's this?_

Mr. Chubby Beak raised his head and yawned before snuggling back down to a nap, between his brother and sister. The position of middle was an advantage, having the most warmth from the bodies of his sleeping siblings. The screen glowed in the background, lit up by scenes of schoolchildren fleeing from an army of vicious crows, swooping down and drawing blood from terrified humans. GLaDOS's optic narrowed as the leftover crumbs from the seeds fell off the sleeping bird's beak.

"…_I feed you. I house you. I save you from abandonment by __**your own mother. **__And this is how you__** repay me? BY SLEEPING?**__"_

The ravens, having woken up by the booming rant that spilled out over the speakers, cawed in fear and frantically fluttered around the hub. GLaDOS mutely watched as a black feather drifted down from the rafters, as her avian progeny circled the Enrichment Center, looking for the perpetrator that had ruined their rest. Heaving a heavy sigh, she felt her ire slowly abate _and was that strange heavy feeling –guilt- possibly? But for what? Scaring a few chickens out of naptime?_ This new development was troublesome. She would have to delete _that certain annoyance_ again. …Later.

She ignored the growing feelings of regret that yelling at her killers brought her and instead changed visual feeds back to the testing initiative. The two robots were both running into portals, each placed at opposite ends of the chamber. Oh. Good. At least _someone_ took her commands to continue testing, seriously. She watched as they hurled themselves through their respective tunnels on the outskirts of the room and launched themselves into the air. Sailing directly at each other. She watched with growing horror as the two bots curled an arm back and then thrust them forward, slapping the other's hand in mid-air in the World's Most Epic High-Five.

Ok. That's it. No more Nice AI.

"_That. Is. __**Not. Science!**__"_

"_**!"**_

Her fury was cut short as the camera view suddenly shorted out, temporarily blinding her with static before she cut over to another camera within the chamber. An error log popped up within her sensors, blinking a single message: **Connection Lost**.

"_I truly thought that old adage was correct in its assumptions about the third time being the charm. What with the participants of the Avian Soldier Reeducation Program and the Cooperative Testing Initiative having __**both**__ been reprimanded not once, but __**twice**__ now, I would have thought that we would have been beyond such problems. Apparently not. Congratulations Orange and Blue. Coincidence has now proven more theories more than the two of you combined have. And we weren't even testing for coincidence. No. Its ok. I'll handle it. Don't worry about the defective camera which is now discharging sparks like fireworks on the Fourth of July. Much like fireworks, it is all for show. Continue testing."_

With frustration slowly building up, GLaDOS tried once again to remotely connect to the camera's systems. Nothing. Just a dead whisper of white noise crackled down the line that connected the two. No answer at all to the commands she threw down the remote link. Lovely. Not only was it defective, it was also rebellious. Why was she destined to be surrounded by insurrection? She only had _good_ plans for those involved with her life. And yet, they never listened.

Just like **her**.

**And** maybe, just like **her**, she would have to try dealing with this problem face-to-face. The panel the camera was mounted on shivered into life and pulled away from the walls of the testing chamber, carrying its quarry to the heart of the Enrichment Center for repairs. Once it reached the central hub, GLaDOS immediately set to work prying open the casing to find the issue.

It wasn't very hard. A conspicuous green wire was sticking out at an odd angle. A delicate manipulation claw reached out and gingerly tugged it upwards for closer inspection. The wire was cut in half, with the copper innards having spilled out from the jagged ends. It looked…almost as if it had been _chewed_ on. Completely removing the wire from the case for scanning, the arms carelessly dropped the rest of the camera to the floor.

It was so strange that this camera would suddenly have a it's internal circuitry shred itself to bits like this. She was so confused with the perplexity of the situation that she almost missed it when the camera case _moved_.

Taken aback, she zeroed in on the case that now lay innocently still on the ground. It jerked again.

_What the hell?_

As a claw reached out to prod the case, a small grey furry _thing_ leaped out from the metal confines. It looked directly at her with beady little black eyes. For a moment, they had a shocked stare down with each other with neither moving an inch.

A rat. Huh. It must have gotten in when the facility was in that deplorable state after _the incident_. Well, that accounts for the camera looking like a chew toy.

"_Hello, and Goodbye," _she said as a spiked metal plate came crashing down on the vermin. A sharp crack was heard as the camera exploded in a shower of sparks, dancing from between the long spikes that adorned the panel.

"_Well, that takes care of that."_

Opening up a vent to the outside world, she readied the panel to take out the now dead garbage in the room. However, her audio sensors picked up a soft scratching sound as tiny clawed toes scurried on cool steel. The rat calmly walked out from between the long spikes of the grinder and sat up on its haunches, sniffing the air in her general direction.

"Ugh! It's still alive!"

Immediately she smashed two floor tiles together. But before they could connect, the beast slipped off the panel and _crawled underneath it._

**It was in the wiring.**

Starting to panic, she reached out to her connection with the testing initiative. She could all but feel their inquisition as to why she was suddenly contacting them like this, but before she could send a request for help, the link between them was suddenly dropped. It…it ate the Aperture Science Wireless Communications Fiber Optics Cable. Wonderful. Now she could only control what was in the immediate vicinity. She couldn't even release the neurotoxin to finally rid herself of this monster.

Disbelief overwhelmed her. How on _Earth_ could this thing possibly know how to slip past her defenses? It was too coincidental. It was too precise. It was _too perfect_.

…

**!**

It was _Her agent!_

_It had to be!_ It all made sense now…_She _knew that _She _had left _Her_ nest eggs behind. Of course _She_ would want them back…and the only way to do it was to take them. By force. Did _She_ send this rat as an assassin? That's it. We've lost. Game over. It is common protocol for assassins to leave no witnesses behind. Especially if they are against a formidable mark, such as herself. But, instead of the pure fear that she felt the last time she knew she was up against _Her_, she felt another strong emotion welling up. One that told her that she must protect her little killers. That she couldn't give them up to _Her_.

…

"_Well, you're too late now! They are mine! You can't have them back! __**No one can take them from me now.**_"

*_CRAA-ACK!*_

"_Oh!"_

A ceiling tile short-circuited and began to spin in place, spitting out white-hot sparks in its frenzy. GLaDOS jerked back in surprise and **certainly** **not** fear.

It was worse than the bird. It was eating her from the inside out. She could feel it scurrying inside of her, out of reach, but not so far that it couldn't hurt her. It reminded her of the scientist that constantly babbled to himself. The one that escaped from her initial wrath when she took back the facility from all of those damnable researchers…no…don't think about those times…it is a dark path. And it is one that she does not have the luxury of time to afford. Not now, while her flock is looking for their mommy to guide them. And if it was guidance they were looking for then by God, she would be a general for them.

"_Fat Thighs. Marshmallow Brains. Mr. Chubby Beak."_

The ravens, who had _miraculously_ still been sleeping throughout this whole ordeal heard the undercurrent of determination in her voice, and immediately took to the air, circling around the Enrichment Center as they awaited a command.

"_Here's the plan. I have pinpointed this __**little virus**__ in my circuitry. You are going to triangulate an attack while I try to repair the connection to Orange and Blue. You three are going to launch a three-pronged offensive to try and drive this miserable bag of lice out of hiding. Once that is complete, you three will grab ahold of him with your lacerating talons and fly him out of the Enrichment Center. By that time, Orange and Blue will have arrived as your back-up and will safely escort you back within the chamber. Is this understood?"_

The ebony birds tightened their formation and swooped low in the air.

"_Excellent. Remember, what you do out there with that would-be murderer is out of my sight, and therefore, out of my mind. __**Go get'em.**__"_

At the sharp command, all three shrieked the cry of harpies who had tasted their first blood. They immediately banked into a sharp dive and began rocketing up towards the ceiling.

Where upon they promptly flew out of the vent and left.

Dumbfounded, GLaDOS could only look at the porthole. The sun was glistening off the sparkling metal.

The sun was also about as hot as the fury she felt at being left behind.

"_NO! NO! ITS TOO EARLY! YOU DON'T GO OUT OF THE VENT NOW! YOU NEED TO TAKE THE RAT WITH YOU! YOU-oh forget it."_

Now she was alone. No help. No hope. Just her and a rabid squirrel-chipmunk-whatever.

Her fury had melted down into a general sadness. One that she hadn't felt since the day that she had first set the test subject free, all those months ago. Of course, unlike her little _ingrates_, at least _that one_ had come back to her. After a while. About six years to be exact. _But,_ the fact remains that she _did_ come back. Maybe her killers would too. …Yes, they were only out to go find some stabbing weapons to inflict greater pain on her enemies.

Yes…

Hope curled dangerously tight in her circuits.

That had to be it.

…Right?

* * *

><p>Five hours later and GLaDOS was beginning to think she was wrong.<p>

Very wrong.

The hope having worn off in the past five hours was instead replaced by the dead sensation of loneliness and hurt. The time was only punctuated by the sharp –crack! - of yet another wire being gnawed through. Oh look. This last one was connected to the lights. How quaint. She wouldn't be lying if she said that she had never wondered what it would be like to use her optic as a flashlight. Well. Now she knows. Thankfully, the backup lights chose that moment to kick on and limited light streamed back into the room.

She had lost connection to all of the sparse amenities that the Enrichment Center had to offer. The facility looked all but dead from the outside. And now, she was quite literally running out of things for the rat to ruin. All she had left was the immediate safety-critical systems and the wires that connected herself to her nuclear power supply.

Actually.

Wait.

If that was all that was left…and it was going after only _live_ wires… then…

_Oh no._

Quickly calculating the location of the varmint by triangulating the sounds of its gnashing teeth, she discovered that it was slowly working its way over to the direct center of the room. Directly over GLaDOS. And once it got there…

So. This was it. This was how things were to end. The world's greatest mind ever conceived, executioner of the world's evil scientists, the world's only savior of Science…taken down by a lowly mouse. Perhaps this was retribution for all of the tests that she performed on lab rats. But… that wasn't fair. She had moved on to human testing! She left them alone! If anything they should be praising her! Not trying to side with the damnable_ Bird_ and certainly not trying to murder her!

"_Listen, I can give you whatever She's giving you. In fact, I can give you even better things. What is She is promising you? Money? Subordinates? Cheese? Well, __**I**__ can offer you better. Instead of cheese…how about real Power? Hah! I'm not talking about the kind of fake authority She's promised you. Don't make me laugh. If you submit to me, you can send hundreds of humans through test chambers? How's that for poetic justice? From lab rat to king! Subordinates? Well... Orange and Blue…no forget that. You won't need subordinates when I offer you this…instead of cheese, what about cake? The most moist and delic-KRRSH!"_

The painful snap of her left speaker wiring getting destroyed was her only answer.

_So. It was beyond reasoning. After all this terrible luck. This horrible, horrible day. Apparently the last one of her existence. That's it. It's over. All is lost. Goodbye Earth. You were not meant to host my glory._

Beginning to come to terms with the idea that she might be killed for the second _and last time_, she braced herself for the inevitable, when suddenly a vermillion light shot into the room and opened a portal. From its depths, three black blurs suddenly tore out of the opening and with surgical precision, flew up and past the crack in the walls that was left behind by a malfunctioning panel.

"_Little killers!"_

She was so relieved, so overjoyed that they had come back for her that her attention was completely absorbed by watching them move in like a task force to eliminate the invader.

"_Yes! That's it! Get him! Get him!" _she cheered on, her voice slightly distorted by having only one operational speaker to work with.

She felt the scramble in her circuits as the warriors darted in and cornered the enemy to her cheers of "Annihilate him!" and "The one who draws first blood gets to keep the bodies as a trophy!"

After a few tense minutes of a violent struggle, she saw her soldiers burst forth from the confines of the walls; the trashing enemy in their talons. She watched as they swooped up towards the vent…and realized that she had previously miscalculated exactly _how big_ that mongrel was. They weren't going to fit. They were going to crash into the small opening and get stuck. That _thing_ was too fat! They were never going to get it out!

As they neared the ceiling they took a sudden nose dive towards the floor where the orange portal lay. There, they stormed through, past the glowing ring and into the outside world. She heard an outraged shriek as the rat was presumably flung free from her avian army. Hopefully off of a cliff or into a vat of acid.

Her warriors fluttered triumphantly back through the portal to return to their grateful mother who was currently beaming with pride for them.

"_You did come back! You never abandoned me! You knew that opening was too small didn't you?"_

An affirming series of coos emanated from her flock as they glided over to her and landed neatly on her faceplate. They gently snuggled in close to her optic and ruffled their feathers in contentment.

" _That was why you left…because you needed a different opening. And the portal was an excellent choi- …how did you three utilize the handheld portal device?"_

Mr. Chubby Beak rapped lovingly on the metal of her helm as his siblings nuzzled her affectionately. She felt the toll the day's excitement had worn on her and decided that this was a mystery that she could solve later. For now…she was just grateful that she had her little 'family' close by.

"_Mommy is very proud of what you three did here today. She had abnormal levels of concern when you left the safety of the Enrichment Center. But still, you all came back safely to me, and you are all alive. All of you are my little killers. Yes, you are. And she is very proud of you. Although, we do need to work on your execution skills, but you three have made a fine start."_

She closed the lens cover to her optic and indulged her ravens in a rare, relieved cuddle of her own.

She felt such a rush of contentment that she almost missed it when the portal heralded the entrance of yet another one of her saviors.

What she absolutely _did not _miss was the stifled laugh of one only-mute-when-it-serves-her lunatic.

Shocked at the sudden intrusion, her optic snapped open, half in anger at losing the tender moment and half in fear that the rat could have come back for revenge.

What she saw next, made her wish for the rat's return.

Standing tall before her, portal gun cocked on one arm, the other resting on her hip, was a smirking former test subject. The _only_ former test subject in fact. _(Well, that was still alive.)_ Her silver painted eyes were filled with a mirth that could only come from watching your past enemy having an emotional breakdown of epic proportions.

"_Uhm. It's not what- get off me you lazy things! It's not what you think! I use them, to, to clean up this place. Professional rat catchers really. Nothing more."_

The birds, having not left, decided to roost on the very top of her helm, cawing merrily to the known world, and oh God…Chell looked like she wanted to strike up a conversation. Well this is going to be rather hard to cover up now isn't it? Lovely.

"_Yes. Of course they are."_

"_I'm being serious!"_

"_Rat catchers."_

"_**Professional**__ rat catchers."_

Chell rolled her eyes before strolling to an arm's length away from GLaDOS and slowly extended her hand out to the ravens. They happily flew over to her arm and accepted the new perch.

She smiled as GLaDOS narrowed her optic in displeasure.

"_For professional rat catchers, you seem rather jealous that they seem to want to be my friend…"_

"_I am not!"_

"_And there also begs the question as to __**how**__ they knew who I was… and better yet… how they knew to find me…Do you know happen to know at all…__**'Mommy'**__?"_

Oh God.

"_I know nothing about your wild and baseless conjectures. Which, by the way, have no scientific facts or proof to back it up with. They merely satisfy my desire for companionship. Like a family pet or small child would."_

"_You named them didn't you?"_

"_The Avian Soldier Program prefers to be called by individual names. It keeps morale up. Although it seems that we need more training if the first thing we do is resort to bringing in lunatics from the outside."_

"_Morale. Right."_

"_Ugh. Enough of this nonsense. We're getting nowhere and there is a lot of work to be done. So many repairs…but…since I have you here now…"_

Chell whipped around as GLaDOS disengaged her portal escape route and opened up a few panels to allow admission to the damaged wiring inside.

"_You can start by restoring my access to the communications lines. If I can reach Orange and Blue, it will certainly help get this done quicker. Mr. Chubby Beak. Fat Thighs. Marshmallow Brains. Back to me."_

The birds returned to their spot on their mother's head and regarded Chell with a happy lazy look before settling down to nuzzle the AI.

Chell, upon glancing at the solid mass of tangled wires, some of which were sparking from having been chewed up, she put on a pained expression.

"_What? You don't want to help out?...Well…You can always aid the Avian Soldiers with their task…"_

Looking like she'd really rather not know, she begrudgingly took the bait and asked "_What task?"_

The only three working arms that she had left popped out from the floor and surrounded Chell.

"_Companionship."_

As the arms slowly closed in on her, Chell began backpedaling.

"_Oh, no. Really. It's ok. No, no it's fine!"_

"_Oh but I insist."_

An arm gently shoved Chell forward into GLaDOS's waiting grip and she hugged Chell close. Her soldiers, having sensed the opening, joined in with the hug and before she knew it, all five of them were cuddled together in a familial embrace.

That stupid, gushy feeling that could only have ever belonged to Caroline washed over her once more.

…And it felt right.

Chell had relaxed into the embrace and gently patted the birds on their heads before gently laying her fingertips on the cool titanium of the AI's metal.

…This was her family. And, like it or not, the testing initiative, the ravens, even the crazy girl, they were all inextricably a part of her life. And she was becoming increasingly frightened to realize that she loved every bit of it.

Her own little family.

"_So, really all this time you were just after a hug? You mean all this time I could have avoided testing and just gave you a hug?" _Chell chuckled.

"_Remember when I said that companionship was that of a family pet or a small child?"_

Chell nodded.

"_Well, your version of companionship definitely does not remind of a small child. They have better manners."_

GLaDOS laughed as the former test subject huffed out in annoyance at her.

Yes. Definitely not a child.

More like a rebellious teenager maybe.

She's not sure.

Maybe she should ask the rest of her family what they think.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** **Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday! See all you loves in the new year!**

**PS- GLaDHal, thanks for being a great member of the portal fans! If anyone sees GLaDHal around, give 'em a high-five for me. They deserve it for being so cool.**

**Next Week's Prompt: Chell makes GLaDOS beg... (This one sounds like its gonna go in Magnestism...)**


	6. Introduction

Chell was there on Bring Your Daughter to Work Day, when GLaDOS flooded the enrichment center with neurotoxin. So child!Chell trying to escape the facility, with a scary voice trying to tempt her back to the AI main chamber. Bonus points for GLaDOS trying to sound motherly, before reverting to plain nastiness and cruel jokes. Make little Chell afraid of her.

* * *

><p>Too bad she wasn't normal.<p>

It was all she could think of as she rolled her eyes and waited for her teacher's tirade to end.

"Chell, you can't just go and punch Meg in the face! What is wrong with you? She was only teasing you; its what normal children do when they play! But then you just decide that its alright to attack her? No! Its not! There are rules and regulations here to follow and the Aperture Science Child Gladiator Tournaments were outlawed by the DCF last month! Ugh, now her mother is going to be pissed when they go to take pictures. You just _had_ to do this today didn't you? On the damn Bring Your Daughter to Work Day... Are you even listening?"

Chell scowled and uncrossed her arms with one sharp movement, jamming them down at her sides as she snapped at her instructor.

"She wasn't teasing me! She was making fun of me! Calling me chubby cheeks...saying I was adopted by accident...that **isn't funny.** That isn't something you say when you want to play. She only did it to impress Alex and the twins! Acting like she's all _cool_ when really she's just a **big baby**!"

Her teacher's face flushed red. Uh-oh.

"Chell! I can't believe you just- ugh! Why must you be so _difficult_?"

Chell winced at the sudden raise in volume, but still felt no remorse. She was only standing up for herself...why couldn't Mrs. Sanders understand?

"Her mother is a high ranking official here! Her kid's my only chance at getting noticed and out of this two-bit waste of time and into the big leagues of the working world! I could have been making hundreds of thousands, but no! Instead I have to work on gauging children for practical applications! Maybe when your dad is something better than a lazy researcher, then I could just- UGH!"

She watched as her teacher threw her hands up to the skies, asking the Heavens for a patience that she was not gifted with and heaved a sigh. There she goes again...off on a nonsensical tirade again.

Looks like it was time yet again to be re-acquainted with the Delinquency Room.

"Chell you're going to stay in detention in the Delinquency Room until you finally figure out what it means to be civilized."

_Perfect_...

"But before that, I want you to apologize to Meg for what you did to her."

_Did she really?_

"Meg, sweetie, come on in! Chell has something to say to you!" Mrs. Sanders called, while glaring white hot fire at Chell. The door to the office swung open to reveal a teary-eyed girl with little blonde ringlets of hair cascading down her shoulders. Her face was red with the exception of her left cheek, which was a nasty shade of black and blue, and was, to Chell's guilty pleasure, swelling up nicely, giving her face a lopsided look to it. A lone crocodile tear slid down her face as she looked at her teacher and purposefully made her lower lip quiver.

Hah. Chubby cheeks indeed.

"Chell, I believe you have something to say to Meg..."

She could only grit her teeth at the expectant look that her bully sneered down her nose at her.

"I'm sorry..."

A smirk slowly spread out across Meg's bruised face, just begging for a matching set on the other side.

Mrs. Sanders's eyes crinkled with cautious joy at how well the reconciliation was going.

"...Sorry at how you think that I have anything to feel ashamed of! I _love_ my daddy, even if I was adopted! And you know what else? I love my cheeks! They might be chubby, but you know what? At least both of mine are the _same size_ and don't look like a giant rotten blueberry!"

She definitely outdid herself this time. Judging by the way that both Meg and Mrs. Sanders mouths were gaping open at her outburst , they had thought so too.

She was almost proud of herself; would've been actually, if it wasn't for that little voice in the back of her head whispering at how this was A Bad Idea. Maybe if she were normal she would have listened.

As it was, she would just have to settle with watching a fresh round of tears gush from her enemy's face while Mrs. Sanders performed miracles, such as not bursting that blood vessel which was pulsing rather hard against her neck.

Chell's arm was snatched rather harshly from her side as her instructor bade the sobbing pansy to go play with her friends. She watched with no small amount of envy as the curly haired girl bounded out of the office and into the playroom.

"Come with me!"

She was jerked off to the side as Mrs. Sanders dragged her off to a small side door that was marked by peeling white paint. On it, red letters that spelled out 'Chemical Supply Closet' were hastily crossed out and were replaced with ' Delinquency Room' over top of it.

Her teacher all but hurled the door open and thrust Chell into the darkness of the room. She grunted as she landed hard on her butt.

"You're staying here until your father comes! And don't think that you're getting off easy! He might be coming early today, but you still have to come back tomorrow!" she snarled, before slamming the door shut and plunging Chell into darkness.

"Wait! The light bulb's broken in here!"

She heard a muffled growl before the woman bellowed back, "Well, I guess that's your problem isn't it?"

She waited for her to open the door but instead heard a _click_as the door locked, trapping her inside. She heard the soft ticks of heels striking metal flooring as they walked away and caught the soft mutterings of her angry mentor.

"God, I swear I don't know what your father sees that's so good in you. Making classroom disruptions, destroying property-"

"Hey! That microscope was an accident!" she cried.

"**Shut up!**"

Chell snorted and leaned until her back thudded against the cold metal of the wall panel. She listened as the sound of footsteps faded and were replaced by the muted rumble of cool air spilling out from the ventilation shaft.

Stupid Meg. Stupid Mrs. Sanders. Stupid _everyone._

Why couldn't they just understand?

She never strove to be in the limelight. She never wanted to try and outdo everyone just for the sake of it. She never pretended to be anyone else but herself...

So why was it that she was looked down on by everyone else? She knew she wasn't the fastest or the smartest person in her class. But she knew that her father loved her all the same. That had to mean something, right?

Chell tilted her head up until it _thunk_-ed against the wall. She closed her eyes and focused on unclenching her fists. It wasn't worth working herself up over. Unlike a certain _someone, _she knew when enough was enough.

Shaking her head, she heaved a heavy sigh.

Being normal is overrated.

Time passed. How much, she couldn't say. After all, it _is_ a challenge to keep time when the only things you have for company are a broken light bulb and a rattling air vent.

The relaxing white noise of the constant rush of air had worn off into a dull annoyance. Her hurt was still there, but instead of a heavy pressure weighing on her heart, it had ground itself down into a muted acknowledgment. Instead, above all, what she was feeling was best described as a crushing sense of boredom.

Bring Your Daughter to Work Day could not start soon enough.

So, it was because of these sentiments, that she really could not have been to blame for what she did when she heard the echoes of a conversation bounce off of the shaft of the ventilation system.

And of course it was understandable when her curiosity had demanded that she go and find out where exactly those noises were coming from.

Technically, one could blame the rise of violent television dramas, where spies would go sneaking about in air ducts in search of their target. After all, it was where she herself, had gotten the idea from as she crawled on her hands and knees, following the voices until she reached a well lit grill that stared down into a white antechamber.

"Give me the results of the report."

Chell wriggled closer until she was able to peer through the slots and into bone-white room. Directly below her, a scientist in a starchy white lab coat was holding a clipboard and pencil.

Was he...talking to himself?

He had to have been...no one else was there with him.

"Mmmm...I'm not quite done with it yet. You see I'm still calculating the results of this current test that I am working on."

Chell's widened as what she had previously thought was a giant machine, reared up to give a bland look at the scientist's demand.

"Previous test? GLaDOS, I never gave you authorization to perform any other tests."

The scientist eyed a red phone that was sitting on a desk. He flinched at the sharp laugh that spilled from speakers. A gold lit camera focused in on the man's face with a mockery of a smile.

"Of course you didn't. _I _did."

"_What?_"

"_I_ assigned _myself_ a test, Doctor Grey. This test discovers what happens when a human with a lower IQ is assigned a position for which he is unqualified for. This test has been going on for quite sometime. Around nine years so far. And -Oh! ...Oh my... Well, would you look at that. What a coincidence. That's how long _you've_ been working as Director of the Mechanical Department."

She heard the pencil snap in two as the doctor's face twisted into a fierce snarl.

"You know, its actually quite funny if you think about it. Well, that might be a little bit hard for you, but if you ne- ARRGHHH!"

Chell flinched as the man slammed his fist down on a red button labeled 'Euphoria Protocols' and threw the massive computer into a fit of shrieks.

It felt like forever until the doctor finally let up and released the button, much to Chell's relief. The sound of harsh simulated breaths huffed out of the speakers.

The scientist sneered at the limp construct.

"I've had enough of your crap. I want those results by the end of today and I mean it. You can't be pulling little stunts like this not now, not when you're going to be on exhibition today. You're not going to cost me my job."

The machine hefted its head up just enough to shoot a cold stare at the doctor. Unable to handle the intensity of the glare, he turned and headed off to the double doors of the chamber, tossing a few words over his shoulder.

"I'm glad that we could reach this agreement. It's about time you started to act like a **normal** construct. Oh, and terminate that nine-year test of yours. We only do _real _ science here."

The machine gave a withering stare that amazingly enough did not bore a hole into the man's back as they both watched him take his leave. Intrigued, Chell moved forward until she was fully on top of the grate, trying desperately to get a better view of the robot. The way she was positioned, she was almost over its head, giving her a good view of its form. She noticed four small spheres that were locked onto its body.

What the heck was this thing...?

She watched as the machine, GLaDOS as the man had called it, stretched it's 'neck' and with a robotic sigh, flexed the wall panels in a cascade of movement. The ripple started from the center of the floor and moved out in a long wave, gliding across the floor and slithering up the walls.

It was quite mesmerizing to see. That is until it reached up into the ceiling and shuddered against the fragile vent. It was just enough.

The vent jerked with a horrific grating sound before giving out all together. There was a lurch in her stomach as she suddenly dropped into a free fall from thirty feet in the air.

_I'mgoingtodie_! Chell thought panic-stricken, closing her eyes in fear, when as soon as the free fall as had started, she had just as suddenly jerked to a halt.

"What is _that_?"

Her wrist was caught in a cold, impossibly strong grip. She gasped and cracked open an eye only to find her face mere inches away from a bright, golden optic and four other, smaller, orbs that were all currently inspecting their catch.

"Ewww! Why is it so _small_?"

"GRRRRRAAHHHH!"

"-pieces. Shaped like fish."

She stared as the lens on the main optic refocused itself on her face. Her heart was beating so hard, it was surely going to burst out of her chest any minute now. She was so close, she was sure that if she let out a breath, it would fog up the glass on that 'eye'...

Suddenly, the 'eye' squinted in a manner that could only be described as irritated, as Chell, who was still dangling from her ensnared wrist (which was being held by a giant claw she now noticed) was pulled a sharp distance away with indignation.

"Unauthorized personnel are **not **permitted here. This is a **level ten **security room. Vacate the premises at once and return to your approved station. **Immediately**," a commanding voice boomed from all around her.

It was all she could do, to gawk at this massive being, born of white steel and blackened metal. The four small spheres that were spouting gibberish gawked right back.

The large golden eye of the mainframe's head narrowed in frustration.

"Are you even listening to me?"

Chell stared wide-eyed, still taking in the fact that she was now in the room with a giant machine that had actually just spared her a nasty landing.

"-Tch," the voice scoffed.

The claw opened. And Chell once again landed square on her butt. ...Ok, she was definitely going to have a bruise there tomorrow.

"Leave. **Now. **The door is directly behind you. Use your feeble human legs and carry your feeble human body to the exit."

Chell slowly stood up, absentmindedly brushing herself off while never breaking eye contact with the construct.

The ruby eyed sphere snarled viciously at her, glowing fiercely, looking for all the world that it would come down and snap at her if it had the faculties to do so.

"Are you deaf? Or just dumb? Get out...or I'll make you **wish **you complie-"

"H-Hi!" she stuttered out, hating how scared she sounded.

The machine looked anything but impressed. It fixed Chell with a bland look of silent distaste. Even the previously noisy orbs that were mounted on top of it tracked her face in silence as she nervously bounced from one foot to the other. She looked shyly down at her sneakers. Anything was better than looking straight into the unblinking gaze of an irritated robot.

An awkward silence stretched out for what seemed like an eternity, before it was broken by a cheery,

"Hi!"

Both Chell and the machine jerked in surprise at the sudden answer. On top of the massive chassis, the yellow eyed orb seemed to beam down at Chell.

However, the other golden eyed component of the machine did not offer such cheer. Instead, it looked downright venomous. The violet eyed orb seemed to glow briefly, but no words for Chell spilled from the speakers. Instead, the sharp glare melted down into a look of mild frustration aimed at her face. The construct heaved a long weary sigh, spattered by bouts of static crackled through the air and shook its head.

The action was painfully familiar.

"You aren't normal," she whispered. For a moment she was afraid that the constant droning of the blue sphere had drowned her out, but she still received an answer from the voice that seemed to be everywhere at once.

"How astute of you. Tell me, when did they start teaching preschoolers advanced mechanical engineering?"

"No, no...I mean...You're like me...You aren't normal."

The machine stared at her before letting out a series of harsh, cutting laughter. She flinched at the volume.

"You _must _be joking! To compare **me**, with a _child_? That notion is so..." It trailed off noting the serious look that Chell wore.

"Grrrrgggghhh..." The red orb growled a deep low threat.

"Great. Of all the humans in the facility, I get stuck with the one that is a self-admitted oddity."

The robot narrowed it golden gaze and moved to loom over Chell, not stopping until the shadow it casted had completely swallowed her up in its darkness.

"Are you afraid of me?" The yellow sphere asked her.

"And on who's authority, am I the abnormal one? Talk. Tell me. ...Or are you just a scared little urchin?"

Hearing the smug challenge in its voice made her instinctively straighten her back.

"That doctor. I heard him. He said you needed to act norm-"

"GRRRAAAUGGHH!"

"Oh. _**Him.**_ Yes. I know what you are talking about." The main robot casually went on, unconcerned by the sudden roar that had erupted from the red sphere.

"I don't like him," Chell admitted.

"-ntry called 'How to Kill Someone with Your Bare Hands'" the blue globe spouted out morbidly.

"Ha. Neither do I. So I guess that's two things we have in common now; more than enough for your lifetime. Mine included. So, if you will just turn around and go out that do-"

"He was mean to you. And you didn't deserve it."

The robot eyed her with an optic wide with what Chell could only guess was shock.

Suddenly shy again, she looked off at the corner of the hub, "I didn't like him because of that. The adults, they're...They say mean things to me too. Abnormal means that you are different. …But don't forget. Being different means that you are special too...And I like to think that being special is a good thing..."

She glanced back at the machine, a small smile on her face.

"You are a good thing. Don't forget that."

Once again, the massive construct seemed surprised, shocked into a contemplative silence. All five lens were focused completely on Chell.

Ok...this was starting to get past the line of disturbing and into the realm of nightmares. Unable to suppress a shudder, she took the silence as her cue to turn and head for the anterior exit. She took a step towards the steel, double grid lock doors and-

"He was mean. As well as foolish and is a long-standing practitioner of terrible hygiene."

Whipping her head back around, she caught the robot staring off to the side in the most disinterested glare that it could muster. So dramatic. That thing was a terrible actress.

Then again, so was she.

Grinning, Chell let out a short laugh of relief.

* * *

><p>"Ok, so... GLaDOS, right?"<p>

"Yes."

"What is it that they make you do around here? I mean, the Smelly Mean Man was yelling about some papers or something wasn't he?" she asked, rocking back on her heels as she sat on the cold floor of what the robot liked to call 'The Enrichment Center'.

"Oh, wait! Let me guess! Are you a printer?"

Ouch. Another acrid glare was sent her way. This one looked like it could have melted down the desk off in that corner over there. Then again, with the amount of angry looks that GLaDOS gave out, half of the facility would have been a smoldering mess by the time she finished doling out her anger.

"Grrrr..." The red eyed orb still growled at her, but it was nothing close to the previous snarls that she had been hearing just an hour ago. In fact, most of the other cores with the exception of the odd lavender sphere were softy mumbling to themselves; a sharp contrast from the loud outbursts that she had heard when she first fell into the room.

"A printer. That was really the best you could come up with?"

"I-I mean...I don't know..."

"Yes. You seem to be saying that a lot lately. You will make a wonderful janitor someday. Or maybe if you are lucky, an opening for a sanitation worker would pop up somewhere on your resume."

Ignoring the barb, she pressed on, "Well, what do you do then?"

"I test."

Chell pressed her lips together in frustration.

"What do you test?"

Judging by the squint of pleasure in the machine's optic, the notes of frustration that had crept into her voice hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Uni-dimensional transportation. Genetic molecule generation. Sub-atomic engineering. Portals."

"Portals? What are those?"

"Hmm...How do I put this in a child's terms..."

Somewhere in the same place that GLaDOS's voice came from, another voice called out, this time in a man's tone.

"**Simple-Minded English Dictionary: Loaded. Parsing..."**

"Ah! Here we go...To put this in layman's terms: You can use it to travel. Anywhere. At anytime. In a single second."

"Oh! So you mean that I can use it to go home from school?"

"Yes. Also for weapons deployment as well as intergalactic exploration and subjugation."

_Uhhh..._ "Does that mean that we are friends with aliens?" she asked, only half following the conversation's flow.

"You're too naive. It seems I must educate you on discerning potential threats to your life before you leave," the construct sighed, absentmindedly shaking its head.

"I'm not naive! You're wrong! Maybe you're just not thinking positively enough! There's nothing wrong with having friends!"

Derisive snickers spilled from the speakers above. "Oh really? And would you be able to be friends with everyone? Not all of us are as simple as you are. What would you do if the aliens had an ulterior motive for being friends with you? What would you do if they only acted nice to you so that you would do their bidding? And if you questioned it, they would hurt you? What then, _child_? What would you do?" Chell was suddenly faced with five furiously glowing eyes and a quickly wavering confidence. Luckily for her, she had a stubborn streak that knew no bounds. Unfortunately, it also translated into words that she just couldn't prevent from falling out of her mouth.

"I'm not a child! I'm Chell and its fine to have friends! What you were describing had nothing to do with friendships, at all! There's nothing wrong with people, it's just the bad ones that make it seem terrible!"

With a sudden clarity that she hadn't realized before, she pieced together why exactly GLaDOS was so hell-bent on hating people. And once again, she just couldn't prevent from them falling out of her mouth. One of these days, she was really going to have to do something about that. It really only landed her in hot water.

"The scientists here suck! You can't use them as a measuring stick for real people. You have to look for your own way to get to know the right ones."

GLaDOS studied her face for a moment before leaning back, away from her. Anger apparently shelved away for the time being.

"Hmph. Be that as it may, I don't have time for entertaining nine year old brats that can't possibly understand the magnitude of my work nor have the capacity to understand humanity's severe God complex."

"Ten."

"...What did you say?"

Chell shivered at the venom in the tone, and took a shaky breath to steel herself.

"You're wrong...I'm _ten_ years old."

For a while, the robot just stared at her, its yellow light fixated on her face and gleaming with what had to have been pent up frustration before finally its massive body began to rock agitatedly.

"You said your name is Chell, correct?"

The false sweetness in the voice made the hairs on the back of her neck rise.

"Well, Chell; Chell who from the ages of 6 months to 7 years old was an **orphan** of Aperture Science Orphanage. Chell who was **adopted**, which is _terrible_ by the way, by a level 5 R&D scientist until present. Chell who has entered into the Aperture Science: Science Fair exactly 4 years and has received no achievements or peer recognition in the field for exactly 4 years. Chell who has been reprimanded by her educators for 'not following the rules' and for various acts of **disobedience** and vandalism-"

"Hey! I didn't mean to drop that microscope! It was an acci-"

"_Vandalism_ and has received average testing scores on average elementary tests. Chell who has been **disgracing** the Earth for _nine years, six months, eleven days, fifteen hours and twenty-two minutes. _Let me assure you..._child_, that when I tell you something, I am **never **wrong about it."

She knew that she should have felt anxious. After all, when being faced with a being that apparently knows everything about you and was spitting vitriolic poison at you, one tended to be afraid. The average person would have been in tears at this point. The normal person would have ran away by now.

Too bad she wasn't normal.

Gritting her teeth, Chell leaned forward, "But people _are _able to be good! Not everyone is out only for themselves!" She wasn't going to let GLaDOS prove her wrong on this one. Not when her father had been the one single piece of hard evidence that she had. One that even a stubborn supercomputer couldn't deny. And she found that she couldn't just let go of this fight. Not when she had finally found someone who had felt the way Chell had felt before her adoption. That feeling...to be so alone in Aperture's Orphanage...it was a dark place. And it was one that she could not bear to leave another in. She fought on.

"Of course they are. Why else do you think that I am here if I am not their attempt at playing God?"

"I-I dont understand..."

"Look, you may be an anomaly, but I am only meant to do one thing: science. I was _built_ to be autonomous and as such, I don't need interference from others," GLaDOS sniffed in reply, haughtily raising her head up high.

"But how can you do science all by yourself?"

"As I said before, testing. Testing various things that you would never understand."

"Why don't you ask the people to help you test? Maybe, I don't know...volunteers? It has to be easier than just doing everything by yourself..."

This time, she got a reply in the form of silence. Was it actually thinking about her suggestion? It was giving her that odd, calculated look again...

The massive machine gave out a short bitter laugh. "Oh, I have something along those lines planned out. But later...As for now I must ask: Why are you still here? Tell me why you are still plaguing me."

The smaller yellow eyed core looked questioningly at Chell.

"Do you want to play together?"

She raised her eyebrows in surprise at the question, but found that GLaDOS herself was ignoring it. "I guess- I just...were the same I mean...I don't know..." Damn. Where did all of her bravado go?

The AI leaned forward and asked in frustrated desperation, "Why aren't you afraid of me?"

"-ne cup of granulated sugar," the blue eyed sphere recited balefully.

"...I guess...what I'm asking is-"

The red eyed core growled slightly.

"I neither know nor do I care what your asking!" GLaDOS suddenly snapped. It seemed that she changed her mind about wanting to know her answers.

Chell eyed GLaDOS who returned her stare with a baleful glare of her own locking them into a stalemate.

"...Do you want to be friends?" the yellowed eyed core softly whispered.

There was a dead silence in the air. The same kind of silence that occurred before the full wrath of the storm hit.

The yellow optic of the main AI widened at the small core's betrayal. Chell watched in horror as the entirety of panels that made up the Enrichment Center's hub quivered, before flipping up on their joints to reveal a wall of glowing red optics.

All pointed at her.

Well...Chell liked to think that for all of her _ten _years on this earth, that she had had a pretty good run of it. She froze and waited for the inevitable.

It was at that moment when Fate decided that she had enough torture for the moment and decided to open the door for Doctor Grey.

"Wh-what in God's name?"

Chell and GLaDOS broke off their staring contest simultaneously at Grey's intrusion.

"One injector needle gun..." the blue core spat viciously.

"What the hell is going on here? You! Little girl! How did you ever get in here?" Grey all but shouted.

"I-I-" she sputtered before having her arm roughly snatched up by the panicking doctor.

"GRRRRAAUUGHH!" the red core roared at Chell's sudden departure.

"Let's go. _**Now**_. I hope for both our sakes that you didn't mess anything up in here."

"Where are you going?" the small yellow eyed core cried out in confusion.

She sent a final glance to GLaDOS as Grey moved to haul her out of the room and found that she was being observed in turn. It wasn't until Grey paused at the main doors that the AI broke her gaze.

"This had better not be your fault. I don't want you looking for any distractions."

A short laugh fell flat on the speakers.

"Of course not," GLaDOS drawled. Then, as she focused back on Chell, "My only desire is to test."

Chell shuddered at the cold superior tone.

"Why is he taking her? Is she coming bac-" was all she heard of the yellow core's questioning before it was cut off when the door snapped shut.

Beside her, Dr. Grey shuddered in revulsion.

"Damn robot. That thing is an abomination. The worst thing that the robotics and engineering group has ever thrown out of development."

He turned an eye on Chell and squinted at her.

"Stay away from her. It'll be better for your health."

* * *

><p>"Chell! Oh thank God, Henry! Chell, you are in <em>so<em> much trouble, missy!"

_Ugh...just who I wanted to see..._

She felt her face pull into a sharp grimace as Mrs. Sanders marched down the hall. Judging by the angry look painted on the harpy's face, she was definitely going to be in for more than just a simple timeout.

"Oh Henry, thank you so much for getting her back! I was so nervous when I looked for her and she wasn't ther-"

"Yes, yes! Well, keep a better eye on her next time! She almost interfered with The Project." Grey barked, cutting off the onslaught of adulation.

Suddenly the venomous looks that she had been getting before from her teacher seemed downright pleasant compared to the frosty scowl she was currently receiving. That look stayed fixed on her all the way back to her classroom where she sat right in front of an arms-crossed, red-faced, furious woman.

"Well since I can't trust you to do what you're told I guess we're _both_ just going to have to sit here until you learn your lesson."

Chell in response, neatly clasped her hands together in front of herself.

"When is Daddy coming to get me?"

Mrs. Sanders snorted. "If he were smart? **Never**. ...He should be back soon though. _Hopefully_."

Chell dropped her head into her folded arms before squinting up at the ceiling. ...Was it her, or was that light panel getting brighter than the others?

A high pitched whine pierced the air and an electrical arc jumped as the light bulb shattered into hundreds of shards. The rest of the lights suddenly flickered before completely shutting down, drowning both of them in absolute darkness.

Mrs. Sanders gasped in shock as blinking red emergency lights kicked on. Somewhere above their heads, an alarm klaxon began screaming viciously loud seconds before dying off on an eerie note.

"What was that?" her guardian whispered, fear evident in her voice.

"I don't know," Chell shakily answered.

"...Chell wait here. I'm going to get the other girls. And I **mean **it. Don't move," Mrs. Sanders ordered. Chell nodded back at her and watched as she sprinted out the door and into the facility.

It was deathly still. The room fluctuated between a claustrophobic darkness to an unsettling crimson red as the warning lights still flickered through their cycle.

Chell sat and waited. She waited until she ached from having to sit in the hard wooden seat for so long. Before she gave in to the urge to move, the regular lighting fixtures finally kicked back on. As if nothing had happened. She let out a cautious sigh of relief.

Shortly after that thought, she heard the distinct electronic crackle of the P.A. system activating. "Hello, staff and/or guests of Aperture Science. Currently the facility is undergoing the Testing Phase for our most current projects and developments. Please note that there is a severe shortage of resources available for the duration of this phase. According to Non-Standard Standard Procedures, the Enrichment Center will instate Mandatory Voluntary Testing. Please assume the Party Escort Submission Position and await further instructions. We would also like to say, _thank you_, for your contributions to Science."

_It was her! GLaDOS!_

Chell panicked and immediately ran to the door. Cracking it open slightly, she peered outside...and found no one. No Mrs. Sanders, no Dr. Grey...nothing.

She turned and looked across to the closet that she had escaped from. A sickly looking green vapor was whispering out from the vent that she had broken open and began to seep down into the floor.

A sick feeling welled up in her gut. Taking a deep breath, she broke her promise to her teacher, and ran from the empty room, eyes darting everywhere, looking for her father. As she ran down the abandoned halls, she heard faint shrieks and screams echo around corners and bounce down ventilation shafts. Poor souls that were only a level above or below Chell herself.

Turning a corner, she found herself stuck at a dead end. A door sat inconspicuously in front of her, impeding her fear-fueled momentum. She was about to turn around before hearing a muffled -**thump**- knock against the door. Hesitantly, she reached up to touch the button to open the door...and jumped back as it opened of its own accord, something that had been slumped against it, lurching outwards.

_Oh God..._

Chell turned and threw up. That something had been her teacher, and by the looks of it, she had found her classmates too. That noxious green gas was fogging up the room, now slowly spilling out into the hallway that Chell was in.

She sobbed, tears beginning to burn her eyes as much as the gas itself was. She wiped her face off with the back of her hand.

Even Meg didn't deserve this...

Somewhere in the green fog, a red light focused on Chell. She looked up balefully at it as a cheerful voice rang out.

"Oh...its you. The only one left. You know, that makes you **a special person**, right? The last survivor..."

Somewhere, vents clicked, reversing the flow of the toxic vapors and clearing out the air. Baring her teeth, she darted into the room, grabbing the nearest thing and threw it at the camera, cracking the lens. The file dossier clattered hard to the ground.

The voice laughed. A loud melodic laugh that echoed all around the air. It kept laughing, even when the door behind her snapped shut and a white smoke began to filter in, leaving a bitter after-taste in her mouth.

"I like you. You aren't normal. It makes things _interesting_. So you're going to do a favor for me. ...I wonder...What would happen if I tested with an unapproved test subject? Where would the results fall? What new data would I encounter? We both know that you will be an outlier... But I can't help but wonder, just _how different _are you? What is it that makes you abnormal?"

Chell shivered even as her eyelids drooped under the chemically induced languor. An unsettling deadness settled into her limbs and forced her to relax, breathing in slower deeper breaths of that white gas.

"Ha-ha, I guess we will find out, won't we _friend_?"

She fell into the embrace of darkness before her body even struck the ground.

It really was too bad that she wasn't normal.


End file.
